Silver Boy with Golden Eyes
by KittyKatz
Summary: [Edited for grammar and deleted a chapter] Every night since before she could remember, Kagome would fall asleep and enter the same dream. He lived in a box in a meadow in a forest, and she loved him, and trusted him, and relied on him. And one of these days, she will save him. [T - Inuyasha has a potty mouth].
1. My First Dream was You

A/N: OMG THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR NOMINATING THIS FIC! No idea who did it but honestly, thanks so much! I haven't looked at this in a while but remember a few typos and errors that I figure I'll take a bit of time to fix up. You can check out the other nominations at the feudal connections tumblr page.

Again, thanks so much!

* * *

 **Silver Boy with Golden Eyes**

~Kitty

 **My first dream was you**

* * *

It was a good dream. A sunny dream. It had flowers and butterflies and strong, thick trees. She laughed as she danced along the path. Soft, warm sand embraced her little toes. Clumsy feet stumbled, a chubby body teetered and tumbled, and she laughed. The ground was warm and soft on her face and stomach. And a butterfly, a brilliant red butterfly. It fluttered in front of her and dazzled her, drawing her in, urging her forward. And then she was crawling, and laughing, then on her feet and running chasing the red butterfly's erratic flight. It flitted through the leaves and vanished behind a curtain of green. Her little hands pressed apart the dense green leaves and a wide open meadow greeted her eyes, bathed in golden sunlight.

Butterfly forgotten, she waddled unsteadily towards the center where a great metal box rested, its outside edges shiny and sleek. Curiously, she reached out to touch it, squealing with surprise when she discovered it's cold, smooth texture.

"Can it, fucking brat!"

Soft brown eyes widened in surprise and she squealed again, clapping her small, round hands. Boldly stepping forward, she placed both those hands up against the structure, relishing the strange tingle that ran up her spine in reaction to the chilly temperature.

"My god, will you shut up?!"

She laughed again, giggling at the irate voice that emanated from the strange metal box. Falling backward as the force of her laughter destabilized her young feet, she laughed even harder to feel the ground embrace her soft little bottom. And then her round little tummy made a rumble and her attentioned shifted.

"Ahh… Ah…"

The metal box shifted, shimmered, and a paper window pane appeared on its side. The shoji frame opened with an aggressive shick, and a scowling figure appeared, looming dark and large over the little hungry child.

"Oi! Shut the fuck up will you!"

The child was unused to looming faces with frowns shouting at her and her pert little mouth twisted.

"Wuh… wuh… WAH! WAAAAAAAAAH!"

The looming face immediately jerked back, startled. The red clad figure stepped backwards, a nervous hand raised to his head.

"Well, shit."

A moment or two passed before the looming face reappeared at the window above the child. Red sleeved arms crossed themselves on the windowsill and a tan face rested on them.

"Seriously, brat," the boy said, "will you just shut up?"

The crying babe reacted to the plea and her cries tapered off and vanished. She looked up at him with wide worried eyes. The boy sighed in relief.

"Finally, jeez."

The window closed with a snap and the figure inside disappeared. The toddler clumsily brought herself to stand and placed her hands against the cold metal wall.

"Ah!"

Nothing.

"AH!"

Still nothing.

"AAAAAAH!"

"What the **fuck** is wrong with you?!"

An angry hand slammed the window open and a livid face was once again shouting at her. She wasn't frightened this time. She was hoping for it. She giggled at the deep scowl on his face and held her hands up to him.

"Ah! Ah! Ah!"

"Ah, ah, what, brat?"

"AH!"

"Leave me the fuck alone!"

Her tummy rumbled again and then a disembodied voice could be heard in the meadow.

"Kagome… Kagome…"

The child turned her head and made for the voice.

"Mah!"

"Keh, good riddance."

Turning mid-waddle, the girl child tried to wave goodbye to the angry young man. She managed one solid wave before slipping and landing on her behind. The boy couldn't help himself and smirked.

"Watch where you're going, brat."

"Kagome… Breakfast time...!"

The child returned her attention towards the surrounding woods and made a headlong dash towards the voice.

"Mah!"

Meanwhile, the boy inside the metal box sighed. As the child's scent drifted away, he gazed outside, taking in the scenery for the first time. He blinked and he frowned, perplexed by his surroundings. Was this forest always there? Did the grass always smell this sweet? Did the birds and wind always make such soothing music outside his box? He couldn't remember. With a snort and a shrug, he shut the window with a sharp click, and turned his back on the colorful world outside.

* * *

A/N: was originally an idea for an original story that got taken over by my Inuyasha obsession… Ah well, who doesn't want your own personal dog-eared hanyou to visit every night in your dreams?

(I promise I'll get around to finishing my more serious stories. Just right now I needed a break…)


	2. Dreamworld

**Silver boy with golden eyes**

~Kitty

 **Dreamworld**

* * *

"Ah!"

She pressed up against the metal wall, trying to reach the windowsill.

"AH!"

Her short stature and unstable legs proved too great a hurdle and she collapsed into a little puddle below the window.

"AAAAAAAAH!"

Pounding little fat fists against the wall, she resolutely demanded to see the box's occupants.

"WHAT THE **FUCK** IS WRONG WITH YOU, GODDAMMIT!"

An angry young face emerged from the box, fluffy white hair haloing the cranky expression that glowered down at her in rage. Kagome laughed and reached for the locks of hair that dangled within reach, latching onto one with immense strength for so young a child.

"OW! LEGGO LEGGO!"

Kagome giggled happily despite the angry antics of the hair's owner. She raised and lowered her arms, unintentionally giving the lock of hair several hard yanks before the owner was completely fed up and yanked his hair away. Unperturbed, she lifted her prize, a few shimmering strands that had dislodged themselves from his scalp. The boy glared down at her.

"Go away, brat."

"AH!"

She raised chubby, happy arms up towards him and looked into his face expectantly. The boy snorted with disbelief.

"Seriously? Fuck no." He turned back inside and slammed the window shut.

"AAAAAAAAHHHH!" Kagome's scream echoed inside the metal box and left the boy's ears ringing. With a growl and a bang, the boy kicked open a door that was not there before and stalked outside.

"Ok, I'm here, ya happy now, ya fucking brat?"

"AH!" Kagome once again raised her arms towards him, kicking her feet excitedly. The boy made a face, clearly not pleased. He saw her take in a big gulp of air, preparing to scream his ears off again and quickly gave in to the little one's demands.

"Alright, alright! I fucking get it already!" He approached her angrily, stooping down and scooping the toddler up in his arms. Kagome hiccuped on the air she had inhaled and seemed startled when her diaphragm spasmed again.

"Heh," the boy said, noticing her discomfort, "Serves you right."

"A-ah…" the child tried to say, interrupted by another hiccup. She clutched the edges of his coarse, red robes and snuggled deeper into his chest, periodically jerking with another hiccup.

"Oi, don't fall asleep, brat!"

She didn't, but she also didn't release him. She sighed happily, feeling comfortable and safe in the strong, stable arms. A big, open mouthed yawn erupted, making her squint her eyes closed tight and the boy scoffed, noting her partially grown in teeth. She smiled a large gummy smile and he flashed one back at her, despite himself.

"You look like some toothless old granny with all your missing teeth, brat."

Kagome reacted by reaching up towards his face. Unconsciously, the boy brought a dangerous, clawed finger up and placed it carefully in her grasping fist. She latched on tightly and was about to put it in her mouth to chew on when he jerked it away.

"Whoa! You don't wanna do that!" he said in alarm.

Kagome didn't seem too distraught over the loss of his finger and instead reached again for his face. The boy rolled his eyes and brought his face down for her inspection with a brief warning about not grabbing hold of his hair again. The soft baby fingers splayed across his face and now that his nose was so close, he took a hesitant sniff, breathing the fading newborn scent and the slowly developing individual signature that defined the young girl's identity. ' _I guess this isn't so bad,_ ' he thought to himself.

"Kagome… Kagome…" The familiar voice from yesterday called to the child and she reacted instantly, squirming to find its source.

"Gyah, ok, ok, jeez." He set down the restless, hiccuping bundle and watched her toddle off.

"And don't come back!" he yelled after her. The toddler paused and turned, waving like she'd done the last time, shouting something unintelligible before resuming her wobbly trek back to the forest.

"Keh," the boy said, shaking his head, "cheeky brat." He kicked his way back into the metal box, half-heartedly hoping that was the last time he encountered this Kagome brat.

...

A gleeful giggle erupted from her throat and she shrieked when she felt her body go weightless in the air. A pair of strong hands caught her under her arms and she clutched at them with tiny fists.

"Again! Again! Again!"

The boy smirked and said, "Last time, ok?"

"Ok," she said quickly, "Again, again, again!"

Sighing, the boy hefted the girl up in his arms and tossed her above his head. Thankful that her squeal of delight was blown away by the breeze, he deftly caught her when she descended and spun them both around in a tight circle before setting her down.

"Up, Up, Up!"

"Oi, oi, haven't you had enough?"

"No! Up! Up! Up!"

Shaking his head, he lifted her up one last time. It had taken a while for her to properly enunciate her requests to be lifted into the air and he regretted it as soon as she did. He imagined his arms falling out of their sockets from overuse as he caught her again.

"Ok, that's enough, Kagome," he told her.

"Ear! Ear! Ear!"

The boy groaned. The little tyke had a ceaseless fascination with his ears and an inexplicable ability to get him to acquiesce to all of her requests.

"Fine," he said, propping her bottom in the crook of her elbow, "Just once, you hear?"

"Yah! Yah! Yah!"

He was grateful she seemed to understand how sensitive his ears were and her soft touch tickled the delicate hairs that grew from the hearing appendages. She placed a stabilizing hand on his nose, making it twitch, and gently stroked the soft, delicate structure.

"Oi! Leggo my nose, brat!"

Kagome giggled maniacally, her hand moving from his nose to partially covering his eyes. He sighed a little in defeat, blowing the air upward to tickle her palm. She squealed into his ear and he winced, almost dropping her. When he set her back down, she proudly pointed to the sides of her face.

"Ear!"

That earned her a quiet chuckle from the boy in front of her.

"Yeah, those are your ears."

Chubby fingers that were slowly losing their baby fat pointed up towards his face.

"Ear!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know, mine are different."

He crouched down in front of her and was surprised to suddenly be engulfed in her little arms.

"Ear!"

"Oi, **I'm** not an ear! I **have** ears!"

"Ear!"

"No! Dumbshit!"

The girl laughed. "Ear!"

"Ugh, I give up." The boy slapped an exasperated hand against his face. Kagome must have thought that was exceedingly funny because she laughed at him, then mimicked the gesture. This promptly brought her mirth to an end.

"Ow…"

"Heh, you're not supposed to hit yourself **that** hard." He removed the little hand and examined the injured forehead.

"Keh, you'll live."

Voices sounded in the distance and Kagome turned in response.

"Mama! Papa!"

The boy stood, disappointed that it was already that time. He stabilized the clumsy girl when she wobbled from the force of her own excitement and gently nudged her in the direction she'd emerged from.

"Go on, git!" He feigned indifference when she turned and waved.

"Ear!"

The boy snorted before crossing his arms and calling back.

"Brat!"

…

It always starts out with running. She was running. Always running toward the clearing. Toward the box. Toward him.

"Inu! Inu! Inu!"

A little, slightly better coordinated, figure burst through the trees and raced to the strange metal box. A white topped, red robed figure emerged from the sliding door on its side and stood, hands on hips, watching the little figure approach him.

She didn't slow down. She didn't stop. Within a foot from her mysterious friend, she launched herself into the air and rammed him hard in the chest.

"God damn." Inuyasha wobbled slightly, catching the young girl around her waist. "You get heavier every time…"

"I'm getting bigger! I'm gonna get bigger than you soon!"

"Keh, I seriously doubt it!"

The boy set her down in front of him and straightened.

"So, what did you bring me this time?"

It had been pure accident, that they discovered she could bring an object from her home to him by holding it as she fell asleep. What followed was a deluge of unnecessary items. A stuffed teddy bear, a pillow, her first, then her second and third lost tooth. What the hell was he supposed to do with her freaking teeth?

Kagome proudly held up a colorfully stained sheet of paper.

"I drew you!" She smiled wide. "I drew you in school!"

He glanced down at the paper with an arched eyebrow, taking it in his hands. The horrendous product of Kagome's budding artistic talent. The boy squinted at the picture, trying to figure out just where he was amidst the shapeless, colorful forms.

"Eh…." He looked down at Kagome, pausing when he saw how brightly she beamed up at him.

"Very… nice…"

"Uh huh! Uh huh!" Kagome proceeded to tug his sleeves to bring him down to her level.

"This is you! This is me! This is this!" Her small hands waved in the air, gesturing to indicate the meadow around them. Inuyasha took a closer look at the drawing, accepting that the red blob was in fact a representation of himself.

"And this! And this!"

Kagome produced a colorful picture book for him and this time the boy's eyes brightened in earnest.

"Let's see what we got here."

He settled down cross legged in front of the metal box and the young girl promptly made herself comfortable, crawling into his lap.

"What's it say! What's it say!"

"Hold on! I'm gettin' to it!"

It was short, barely a couple dozen pages long. Something stupid, about some trespassing girl making trouble for a family of bears. Inuyasha chuckled to himself privately, the scenario was certainly one he was familiar with.

Voices began to sound from beyond the clearing and Kagome stood to return to them.

"Oi, bring a better book next time, brat, a longer one."

Kagome looked at him with wide eyes and blinked.

"What kind of book?" she asked, "How big?"

Inuyasha shrugged, returning the book to her. She hugged it to her chest tightly, she needed to make sure it made it all the way back home with her.

"How 'bout one without so many goddamn pictures?"

The girl's eyes went even wider.

"Wow! That big?" she exclaimed in surprise, "You must be really smart!"

"Eh?"

"My daddy reads big books. They don't have lots of pictures and have lots and lots of words!"

"Yeah, bring one of those."

"How do I know which one?"

"Any one is fine."

Kagome pondered for a bit before perking up, her face opening into a very large grin for so small a face.

"Come back with me! Pick one to read!"

"Eh?" Inuyasha was taken aback. Leave this sanctuary?

"That ain't a good idea, brat."

"Yeah it is! You can meet my daddy and my mommy and grandpa!"

Inuyasha was getting a really bad feeling about this notion.

"Naw, just fucking pick something."

"No! Come with me!"

"I ain't fucking goin', brat!"

Kagome pouted. She really wanted him to meet her daddy and her mommy and grandpa. The voices pressed more insistently now and Kagome would have to leave soon. She frowned at the strange boy in front of her before turning with a huff.

"You're a pooper!" she yelled to him as she ran off. Inuyasha crossed his arms, trying to scowl but he was too amused by the insult to be truly angry.

"Keh, cheeky brat."

…

He had no perception of time. How long it had been, when was day, when was night? He sniffed, disappointed that she was not there. He sighed, looking around him at the plain grey walls. The box he'd made for himself was very stark. A plain, cold box. He'd created a window on one side and a door. That was it. Everything else had been added by Kagome.

The boy roughly picked up the old teddy bear and stared at it intensely, as if blaming it for its owner's tardiness. Her scent stayed strong on it and he would often hand it to her to hug while she visited, hoping to keep her scent there even longer.

His senses knew the instant she arrived at the boundaries of the forest, her scent on the wind was unmistakable. What surprised him was how slow she was, this time, to reach the meadow.

He stepped outside, following his nose into the forest. Until this point, he'd never even made it to the edge of the clearing. He had no urge to see what was beyond the little meadow in which he found himself. Now, he went boldly, seeking out the young girl who was late to see him

Kagome was hobbling down the path, moving as fast as she could. When a familiar presence approached, she started hollering.

"Inuyasha! Inuyasha!"

"Oi, oi, brat, I'm right here."

"Inuyasha!" Something was wrong with her movements, and he caught her gently when she threw herself at him.

"Oi, what's wrong with you, brat?"

"I broke my leg today!"

"Eh?!"

Sure enough, a strange, bright pink boot was attached to Kagome's left foot, making it difficult for her to walk. Inuyasha looked closely at the material, fascinated by the hard, stiff surface.

"I'm late today because I went to the hospital!"

"Why do you sound so damn happy about breaking a leg?" Inuyasha sniffed her over carefully, intent on ensuring that no other injury was present. Kagome snickered with surprising glee.

"Because Mikey got in biiiiiiig trouble for pushing me off the playground!"

"The fuck?" Inuyasha muttered in surprise, "And that's a good thing?"

He collected the injured girl in his arms and grabbed the backpack she'd started bringing with her and leapt into the air. Kagome shrieked in surprise and delight, causing his ears a pain he hadn't realized was possible.

"OW! Dammit brat! No screaming!"

"Wow! Jump higher! Jump higher!" Kagome was clinging onto whatever was in arms reach, which, unfortunately for Inuyasha, included tufts of his hair.

"NO! You fucking brat! Now let me go!"

He touched down next to the metal box and unceremoniously dumped her to ground, a hand carefully bracing her injured leg. Girl accounted for, he turned his attention to the bag she'd brought.

"What did you bring me this time?"

"Mommy and me made cookies!" Kagome exclaimed, "And I snuck out another book!"

"Great! Hand it over…" Inuyasha immediately located the promised tome and flipped it open. By now, he'd gathered that Kagome's father must be some sort of super advanced healer or shaman. The books he owned described in great detail the intricacies of the human body and strange rituals to ensure good health. He'd been startled at the idea of cutting open a womb to extract the pup inside and intrigued by the notion of bacteria and viruses, a strange way to refer to the evil spirits that caused disease, he assumed.

Kagome had shifted around to gain access to the discarded backpack. Digging around inside, she triumphantly produced a bag of cookies.

"Inuyasha! Here! Cookie!"

Inuyasha jerked up, displeased to be interrupted from the new book, something about cardiac arrhythmias, whatever the hell that was, until an absolutely delicious scent wafted toward him.

"What's that?"

"A cookie! You never had one before?"

"Keh, hand it over."

Cookies were the most amazing things in the world, Inuyasha decided. He never imagined such a taste could exist. The small batch of cookies were gone before Kagome managed to grab herself one and she pouted at the boy.

"Hey! You ate them all!"

"Keh, so? You said they were for me."

"No I didn't!" Kagome huffed, looking down at her cast unhappily. Inuyasha licked the last traces of oatmeal cookie off his lips, trying not to feel guilty at her obvious disappointment.

"Why don't I read to you? You used to like it."

"Hmph! I can read by myself! And daddy's books are boring, why do you like them so much?"

"Keh, stupid brat."

"I'm not stupid, you're stupid!"

"Keh."

The sun didn't move from its place in the sky and neither boy nor girl knew how much time had passed. But Kagome always felt it eventually, a strange compelling force asking her to return, drawing her away from the meadow. She felt it now and knew her time was up.

"Ok! I have to go home now!"

Inuyasha looked up, a little disappointed. He then glanced down at her broken leg and pushed himself to his feet.

"I'll carry you."

"Wow, really!" Kagome bounced excitedly on her bottom, holding up her arms. "Up! Up!"

"Keh, you haven't said that in a while," he said, the corners of his mouth twitching upward. He bent over to lift up the girl, placing her on his shoulders. He felt her hands resting atop his head and as soon as she'd settled, he started off.

Kagome kicked her legs lightly against his chest.

"Up!"

"Nope."

"UP!"

"No, you're injured!"

"But you did it earlier!"

"Yeah, well you pulled my hair."

"Pooper."

"Heh."

They traveled through the forest in comfortable silence, enjoying the warm trickling sun rays that shifted and fluttered in the breeze. They were walking for some time when Inuyasha spoke up.

"Oi, brat, how far away is your home?"

Silence answered him and he suddenly noticed that her scent had faded away. In a panic, he glanced around, for she was no longer around his shoulders. Suddenly alone, Inuyasha spun, gathering in his surroundings. This patch of forest looked familiar, and a few more steps forward took him to an opening in the trees. And the sight that opened up to him was of a brightly lit meadow with a large metal box sitting in its center and now Inuyasha knew that Kagome had returned home, and that he was not allowed to leave the boundaries of this strange dream world.

* * *

A/N: Poor Inuyasha can't leave… :'(


	3. Let the Rain Fall

**Silver boy with golden eyes**

~Kitty

 **Let the rain fall**

* * *

Inuyasha jerked, startled, when he stepped outside. He looked up in surprise, seeing the building clouds. Kagome was drawing near and something was wrong. And it was starting to rain. No sooner had he wished it, a makeshift wooden roof appeared, jutting out from the metal box he just stepped out of. He scratched his head while he waited, the rules in this strange world didn't always make sense to him. He made a face and shrugged and turned to face the forest, where moments later, a young girl in her preteens came rushing out, blindly racing toward him.

With a sobbing wail, she body slammed him, her slender arms wrapping around the strong figure in a tight hug. It took him several breaths to take in the situation and react.

"Oi, wench," he said softly, "What's wrong with you?"

Kagome sniffed, struggling to quell her heaving sobs to no avail. So instead of answering, she clung to his robes and cried, long and hard. Inuyasha felt very uncomfortable, not used to seeing this side of Kagome. He awkwardly patted her back, and loosely held her around the shoulders. And then, recalling a faint thread of memory reaching far, far back into his past, he brought a tentative clawed hand up to her head and gently stroked her hair. His ministrations appeared to work and slowly, her sobs quieted down to whimpers and her breathing began to even out. Slowly, very slowly, her crying abated and she pulled back to smile up at him weakly.

"Hi."

"Keh, hi yourself," he retorted, attempting to hide his embarrassment, "What's the matter with you today?"

Kagome answered him by burying her face in his chest again, and for one panicky moment, he thought she would resume crying. The rain was pouring down heavily now, creating a steady hum that was oddly comforting and the wet smell of grass permeated the air around them. After a couple moments, she pulled back again, finally feeling ready to speak.

"Daddy," she said softly, "My dad…"

A lump lodged painfully in her throat and he saw her swallow with difficulty.

"My dad got into an accident," she whispered, voice cracking. Inuyasha frowned, did the healing and protective rituals in her father's books not protect him sufficiently?

"He's in the hospital, he's in a coma." The girl trembled in his arms and he reflexively held her more securely.

"He's not waking up…"

Inuyasha had no words for her. He felt he ought to say something, but everything that came to mind seemed somehow inappropriate. So he simply held her, every now and then feeling her shoulders quake as she tried to stifle a sob. Finally, he thought of something to say.

"Just cry," he said softly, "It's ok."

He held her for a long while and she fell back into sobs several times. He held her silently, stroking her hair and gently rocked her, sinking down along the wall of his box, pulling the heartbroken girl into his lap. After a while, sounds began to echo through the meadow, indicating Kagome's time was soon up in this place for now.

" _Mrs. Higurashi?"_

" _That's me… How… How is he?"_

" _..."_

" _..."_

" _... Your husband… Your husband didn't make it… I'm so sorry."_

" _..."_

The voices faded and Kagome stilled in his arms. Her heart was loud in her ears and he could feel it beating against his body. Then she trembled, her shoulders shook violently and she collapsed into sobs again, screaming into his chest and Inuyasha pulled her in tight, sharing her pain.

…

It was a harrowing week for Kagome and Inuyasha. The stormy weather persisted and so did Kagome's grief in the wake of her father's death. Sometimes, her visits would pass with hardly a word spoken between them. Sometimes, she would cry into his arms the entire time. Sometimes, they would just sit under his porch roof and stare at the rain as it watered the meadow.

Today, the scent of her blood had him up and running before he even realized it.

"Are you OK?!"

Kagome jumped, startled when he appeared in front of her. She had bags under her eyes, indicative of her reluctance to see him today.

"Fine," she muttered, glancing away.

"No way in _hell_ you're fine!" He grabbed her by the shoulders and sniffed her thoroughly.

"I said I'm fine!" she cried angrily, pushing him away. She hid her left arm behind the other and stomped through the forest, huddling her shoulders against cold wind. Inuyasha reached out again for her, startled when she slapped him back.

"Don't touch me!"

It was an awkward silence that fell between them, each sitting as far away from the other as possible on the porch. The wind was rough and, although rain was no longer falling, the atmosphere between them was tense and stormy.

He tried to sniff discreetly, striving to see her injury. When Kagome shifted, he finally caught sight of a line of red on her arm and leapt to her side.

"Who did this?" he demanded angrily, "Who's the bastard that cut you?"

Kagome's response was practically a snarl. "Shut up, Inuyasha! Go away!"

She hid her arm again and huffed, slouching against the metal box, her knees protectively drawn up against her body. Inuyasha frowned in confusion. Why? Why was she so prickly today?

"Let me just see," he tried.

"No."

"I can help it heal."

"Fuck off!"

This startled him. In the years he'd known her, despite his constant cursing, he couldn't remember her ever swearing back at him. His ire rose and ignoring her protests, he grabbed her wrist and yanked her to him, determined to inspect her injuries.

They were fresh, still red and clotting. Three neat parallel lines on the inside of her forearm. He sniffed them carefully, holding down Kagome's other hand when she started beating her fist against his head. Satisfied that there was no infection present, he brought the reluctant limb to his mouth and laved it with his tongue.

"EEW!" Kagome cried in disgust, "You're so gross!"

"Can it, wench."

Kagome wrinkled her nose and reclaimed her arm, carefully rubbing his saliva off with the edge of her shirt. She glanced down at the cuts in surprise, realizing that much of the pain was gone. They faded quickly, and the rubbing had flaked off the forming scabs to reveal freshly healed skin.

"Keh, you're welcome wench," Inuyasha said smugly. Kagome sniffed and turned away angrily. The boy frowned, studying the girl's stiff, cold body language.

"Who cut you, Kagome?"

"..."

"Kagome?"

"..."

"Fucking tell me already!"

"Nobody did, OK!" Kagome flashed angry eyes at him before turning away again, crossing her arms and slouching even further. Inuyasha's eyes narrowed as he tried to comprehend, and then opened wide when he understood.

"Kagome…"

"Shut up."

"No! Kagome, you can't do this!"

"Shut up! You're not the boss of me."

Uncharacteristically, Inuyasha didn't react in anger. The impulse that coursed through him surprised them both and Kagome fought him initially, not wanting the comfort. But his arms were strong and his body was warm and Kagome sank into the embrace with a shudder and a sigh.

"I lost my mother when I was seven. It took me a long time to understand. When it really hit me, I used my claws too. It's probably only thanks to my demon half that I survived."

He spoke to her quietly, his confession warm and intimate against her ear. Her whole body shook and eventually, she brought her arms up his back, each fist grabbing hold of his red haori and she returned the hug with the same fierceness, for right now, he was her rock and she needed him.

* * *

A/N: This was mildly inspired by episode 13, season 2 of _This is Us_. The scene where Mandy Moore's character is informed of and copes with the death of her husband really stuck with me. I felt it was so well acted and you can feel her processing and absorbing the information and still trying to be strong for her children. It's always so amazing when an actor/actress can pull off something like this, how it looks when they're struggling to keep it together. I feel like scenes where a character completely breaks down is so much _less_ impactful than when they're holding it in. Now, I realize Kagome's not really holding it in here, but hey, she's allowed to break down in her dreams, plus, she's still very young at this point.

P.S. I think I made Kagome's stages of grief a little out of order but it made sense to me as I was writing so I hope it's ok… I'm also not too sure about Inuyasha in this one… I'm both happy with it, and worried that he might be a little out of character… can't decide…..


	4. And then it evolved

**Silver boy with golden eyes**

~Kitty

 **And then it evolved**

* * *

A strange awkwardness had fallen between them. When it started, he couldn't say, but he felt it grow. It swelled and ebbed and he struggled to keep tabs on it. Something was changing in their relationship and it made a nervous knot in his stomach whenever he felt it pressing against them strongest.

"Hi Inuyasha!"

Her voice returned to its usual bright and cheerful timber quickly. He could hardly detect the ragged traces of her sobbing from just a few months ago.

"Keh, wench."

"It's Kagome, you know."

She was getting more insistent these days, about her name.

"Keh, you've always been fine with brat and wench until now."

Kagome pouted, her cheeks puffing out under her eyes and he had to resist the urge to pinch her nose. The young girl shrugged off her pack and threw it at him.

"I'm gonna stop bringing you ramen if you keep calling me wench or brat."

Inuyasha's eyes went wide. Kagome had been bringing him ramen every night since her father's funeral. It was good comfort food and for Inuyasha, it was a taste like nothing else he'd ever experienced. He gulped. No more ramen? He quickly located the salty noodle packets in the bag and hugged them to him protectively. He eyed her from askance, noting the bold spark in her eyes and before he could help himself, the words slipped from his lips.

"Keh, cheeky wench."

"Looks like no ramen for you tomorrow!"

"What? No, wait!"

"I already warned you."

"Kagome-e-e-e!"

The girl stuck out her tongue but refused to relent and Inuyasha held the crinkly packets close, with a reverence Kagome found hilarious and she burst out laughing.

"I brought you a clock this time, too!"

"A what?"

"You keep complaining that I'm late so I brought you a clock. Then you'll actually know when to expect me!"

She produced a strange, flat object from her backpack and held it out to him. The markings on the surface were numbers, her father's books had taught him that. But everything else about the contraption made absolutely no sense to him.

"So, how is this thing supposed to tell me when you're coming?"

Kagome looked at him oddly, frowning.

"You don't know how to read a clock?"

"Keh, how am I supposed to know when I've never seen one before, wench?"

"No ramen for two days!"

"Oi!"

"Seriously though, this hand is the hour hand and this hand is the minute hand and there are twenty four hours in a day…"

Kagome had to explain the clock several times before Inuyasha fully understood. He quickly began to see the advantage of the device and asked Kagome how will he know when she should arrive.

"Let's see…" Kagome scratched her head, "I usually go to bed around ten…"

"That means when the hour hand is here and the minute hand is here?"

"Yup!"

"And it's every other time…"

"Yeah! Looks like you got it!"

"And when you're late, you'll bring extra ramen?"

"Haha, nice try." Kagome looked up at him brightly, her smile strangely wide against her cheeks. Something was wrong.

Kagome could tell that her over-enthusiasm had tipped him off and she retracted, busily setting the clock to match her watch. She'd made sure there were fresh batteries and set the clock down against the metal box.

"What's wrong, wench?"

"Three days…"

"Argh! What's wrong, _Kagome_?"

A brief silence stretched between them and Inuyasha's patience slowly waned. Then Kagome shifted positions. She shuffled toward him and wordlessly raised her arms, so similar to how she used to do as a young child. Inuyasha hesitated for but a moment before opening himself and letting her fall against him.

"I still miss him," she whispered into his chest. He heard her sniffle and shake, then settle comfortably in his arms and he allowed himself a tension relieving sigh.

"I know."

"I miss his voice, I miss his hugs, I miss his smell, I miss his advice." Her voice broke and she quieted briefly. And then the salty scent of tears. And then her shoulders shook. And after a while, they calmed, her breathing deepened, and she grew still.

"Tomorrow is his birthday."

Inuyasha shifted to be more comfortable, knowing there was little he could say to ease the pain, so he settled for offering her a sturdy shoulder and warm arms.

"We're going to visit his grave."

A clawed hand came up to stroke her hair.

She breathed in, then exhaled a deep, resounding sigh.

"I wish you could always be here to hold me like this."

He had no words to say in reply and he didn't need them. She wrapped her arms tightly around his body and they stayed like this for some time. She tried to memorize the feel of his strong, broad chest and steady arms so she could carry them with her as she went about her day. He buried his nose into her hair to carry her scent with him after she left.

After some time, Kagome could feel the pull of the waking world drawing her away and she sat up.

"Time to go."

"Keh."

"I'll see you tomorrow!"

Snort

"Yeah, yeah," Kagome said sarcastically, sighing as she got up to start heading toward the trees, "I love you, too."

Kagome's scent long since faded from the meadow and Inuyasha sat beside his metal box, frozen completely stiff.

' _She… she just… did she just…?"_

In the background, the clock ticked off the time...

Tick…

Tock…

Tick…

Tock...


	5. Hickory dickory dock

**Silver boy with golden eyes**

~Kitty

 **Hickory Dickory Dock**

* * *

Tick…

Tock…

Tick…

Tock…

His ears twitched as they reacted to the birdsong and the wind rustling outside the box.

Tick…

Tock…

Tick…

Tock…

He sat cross legged inside the metal shelter, ignoring the sunlight that filtered in through the shoji window.

Tick…

Tock…

Tick…

Tock…

His nostrils flared as he inhaled deep into his lungs. Nothing, she was not here. With a groan, he let out the breath into a long, restless sigh.

Tick…

Tock…

Tick…

Tock…

The clock sat across from him, mocking him. Still ten more hours until she returned.

Tick…

Tock…

Tick…

Tock…

He tapped the ground with his clawed finger in time with the modern device.

Tick…

Tock…

Tick…

Tock…

It developed gradually, the irritated growl that rose out of his chest. He didn't think time could move so slowly once you started measuring it.

Tick…

Tock…

Tick…

Tock…

"ARGH!"

The young man stood up abruptly and spun on his heel, barging out the door and stomping out into the meadow. He didn't often venture into the space outside his box, not when Kagome wasn't there. It wasn't that he was afraid, or that he wasn't curious. Something kept driving him back into the shelter of his box. But today, fed up with the agony of watching just how slowly time ticked by, his agitation fueled his legs and sent him crashing into the forest.

The forest was a light, warm, welcoming place. Dappled sunlight shifted and danced around him and felt good when it rested on his skin. But it was a disorienting place. There was a wrongness that his senses pressed upon him. The forest did not want him there.

He wanted to see Kagome. Almost _needed_ to see her. Her tears from last time stayed on his red outer coat and he could still smell the salt of them. But they weren't her. The faint scent that clung to the gifts she'd brought for him, the books she'd left him. But it wasn't her.

It was almost a physical force now, something that clawed at his legs and feet as he tried to press onward. Holding him back. Keeping him away. He pushed on stubbornly, refusing to be swayed from his quest. He was going to her. He had to see her.

Eventually, the invisible resistance waned, the sense of wrongness subsided. His eyes brightened as he felt each new step easier than the last. Excitement buzzed in his veins and his breath rushed in and out in shallow pants.

Tick…

Tock…

Tick…

Tock…

The clock mocked him as he burst into the opening, his eyes immediately recognizing the meadow and the box and the sound emanating from within.

Tick…

Tock…

Tick…

Tock…

He gnashed his teeth together with a fierceness that made his jaws creak in protest.

Tick…

Tock…

Tick…

Tock…

And then the frustration gave way to a different emotion. One he had been holding back for a long time. His hands trembled as they hung at his sides and he tried to force his lungs to breath.

Tick…

Tock…

Tick…

Tock…

The strength fled from his legs and brought him down to his knees at the edge of the meadow. Head downcast, he stared at the open hands resting in his lap. Rough, calloused, dangerous hands. What was the purpose of this purgatory? Why was he cursed to stay forever trapped in this strange dimension? A fragile heart quivered inside his chest and blood dripped from his lips where a fang pierced the flesh. Golden eyes trembled, blinked, and resettled. A deep breath. And then another. And then the lonely figure stood, back straight, fists clenched. With even steps, he returned to the metal box, slipped inside, and shut the door.


	6. Fun and Games

**Silver boy with golden eyes**

~Kitty

 **It's all fun and games**

* * *

His nose found her instantly when she appeared at the boundaries of his forest. His ears followed her movements as she crunched and rustled her way towards him. His eyes sought out a glimpse of her dark hair as she neared the forest's edge. His heart ached.

She'd blossomed in the years following her father's death. Tumultuously, with highs and lows, and now she was a young woman on the cusp of independence and something about that fact struck him deeply. She would soon leave him behind.

The digital clock within the metal box started to play a soothing melody and Inuyasha turned to reach inside his open window and slap it off. Clocks were such annoying things. At least this one didn't mock him with a ceaseless ticking that nearly drove him insane that first time Kagome had brought him a time keeping device.

"Inuyasha!"

Her form broke through the trees and his heart both soared and fell at the same time.

"Keh. About time, wen-er-Kagome."

Her bubble of laughter was infectious.

"Veeeery close there, Inuyasha!"

She bounded right up to him and gave him a fierce hug. He supposed it was probably a good thing that she wasn't body slamming him as she used to. Taller and more muscular, she'd surely knock him over if she tackled him at full speed at this age.

"Keh," he said gruffly, embarrassed despite himself.

"Keh, yourself!" Inuyasha was sorely tempted to pinch the tongue she'd stuck out at him but decided to let her keep her tongue unmaimed.

"So, what'd ya bring this time? More homework?"

He knew she had tests coming up. Senseless things if you asked him. She'd taken to bringing her homework and books into his space more and more now that there were high school entrance exams to prepare for. Perhaps the only useful texts he'd seen her bring were large books on biology and physics. Everything else made absolutely no sense to him.

"Nah…. I want to take a break from that…" Kagome sighed, plopping down on the grass beside the box and letting her legs lie where they fell, splayed out in front of her.

His golden eyes kept drifting toward them.

"Oh. So, uh, what do you wanna do… then…?"

"Ugh… I don't know. Let's play a game!"

"Eh?" Inuyasha finally brought his eyes up to her face. "A game?"

"Yeah! Like… I don't know, truth or dare!"

"What the hell is that?"

"It's a game! On your turn, you get to pick truth or dare. If you pick truth, you have to honestly answer any question I ask you. If you pick dare, you have to do any dare I tell you to do."

Inuyasha thought about this. "That sounds boring."

"Hmph! You're a pooper."

The white haired boy couldn't help but chuckle at the familiar name she called him whenever he managed to spoil her fun.

"Fine, dare."

The light in Kagome's eyes was almost blinding and it pulled at the corners of his mouth.

"Uuuuum…" Kagome put a thoughtful finger to her mouth, "I dare you… um…"

Kagome faltered. Dares usually involved doing something that could get the player into trouble if they got caught. There was no one to catch them here.

"Keh, this could take all day," Inuyasha grumped, settling down beside her and stretching his arms above his head.

"Oh! Give me a piggyback ride!"

"Huh?"

Kagome was facing him eagerly with her arms open wide, a great big grin stretching across her face.

"C'mon! Up! Up! Up!"

"Keh, seriously?"

"UUUUUUP!"

"Agh! Fuckin' hell! Alright, alright, just don't start screaming!"

"Yay!" Kagome squealed to herself, scrambling up to climb onto his back, "Up!"

"Keh, you've gotten heavy, wench."

Inuyasha froze, panicking slightly as the word slipped out of his mouth. He had only three more days before she would bring ramen for him again and he didn't want to add another day to the tally.

"I'll let that one slide," Kagome said wryly, "Now, UP!"

Inuyasha smirked to himself.

"Keh, you asked for it!"

They took off, Kagome clinging tightly to his shoulders. Truth be told, she didn't think he'd taken her for a ride since she broke her leg so many years ago. The exhilaration rushed through her system and she couldn't help the squeal of delight that escaped her throat.

"Oi! Keep it down, the ears are sensitive!"

Kagome giggled and wrapped her arms around Inuyasha neck, bringing her face close to his. Her breath was on his cheek and Inuyasha valiantly ignored the distraction. Instead, he enjoyed the feel of his muscles singing with each leap and the brush of the wind through his hair. It had been ages since he'd allowed himself the freedom and he hadn't realized just how much his body missed this.

They landed back in the meadow and Inuyasha unceremoniously dropped her legs, causing her to slip back to the ground.

"See! This game is fun!"

"Keh. Your turn wen-Kagome."

"Oh, ok! Let's see. Dare!"

Inuyasha paused for only a second.

"Give _me_ a piggyback ride."

Kagome blanched.

"What?!"

"You heard me: Give. Me. A piggyback. Ride."

Kagome stared at him with wide eyes, mentally trying to guess his weight.

"Uh… I don't think I can…"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

"Yah don't have to jump around, just take as many steps as your weak-ass legs can."

After that declaration, he stomped toward her, ready to mount.

"Oh boy…," Kagome said with a sigh, "Here goes nothing."

Inuyasha was _damn_ heavy! It was hard to see his body shape through the bulk of his bright red clothes but now she was positive he was a densely packed bundle of muscle because he felt like a lead doll against her back. A very warm, lead doll with a very distinct masculine scent.

The blush was bright red on her cheeks and she was glad he was behind her. She finally managed to hoist him off the ground by a few inches and took her first tentative step. To her surprise, the second step was much easier.

Inuyasha tried to be helpful, holding himself tightly and not moving around too much. But when her hands ran up his thighs as she struggled to hold him up above the ground, he feared he'd made a drastic mistake by daring her to give him a piggyback ride. And then when she took her next step and took a tumble, he knew for certain his idea was going to meet him with a rather regretful end.

They blinked at each other for a moment or two. Body pressed against body. Breath was not possible. Hearts beat quickly. And then that moment was gone by the frantic wailing of an alarm that screeched at them throughout the meadow.

"Um…," Kagome uttered, gulping as she stared up at him, "I guess that's my cue to go…"

And then she fled. Far and away, and Inuyasha stayed there for a period of time, the ghost of her presence imprinted in an imagined heat in his arms. Things had evolved between them. And the fun and games between them were just fun and games, until they were not.

* * *

A/N: Ah… to be young and in love. I can't believe that I was about their age when I first started watching this series and now I'm this old creeper reading and writing fanfics to recapture that time… haha. Ah well, hope this is enjoyable to read…

Till next time then.


	7. First Blood

**Silver boy with golden eyes**

~Kitty

 **First Blood**

* * *

The shock of terror that shot through his heart was electric. The scent of her blood floated in on the wind and he dashed out to find her. ' _Not again,'_ he thought, ' _Not again!'_

"Kagome?!"

The red figure came crashing through the trees, stopping in front of her. Kagome looked surprised to see his state of distress.

"Hi Inuyasha, what's wrong?"

"Are you cutting yourself again?!"

Inuyasha immediately set about sniffing her from top to bottom. When he neared the source of the blood scent however, he was rewarded by a shriek and a slap.

"EEK! Pervert!"

"Ack, what gives, wench?!"

Kagome was on her bum, scooting away from him with her knees drawn up protectively.

"Stay away from me, you pervert!"

"Pervert? What the fuck?"

Inuyasha just couldn't get a read on the girl. Her face was so red, it was almost purple and he needed to find where she'd been hurt to heal it. And why was she calling him a pervert?

First aid comes first.

"Kagome, show me where you're bleeding. I can use my saliva to make it better."

He wouldn't have thought it possible but Kagome's face went even redder. He could almost see steam coming from her ears.

"HELL. NO. PERV!"

"Ok, seriously wench. Why the fuck are you calling me a perv?"

They stared at each other for several minutes. Kagome's mouth opened and shut several times, hardly believing that she had to explain this to the boy who'd spent her entire life reading her father's medical books. That train of thought gave her inspiration and she finally found words to speak.

"One sec, I'll be right back."

It was the first time he'd ever been present to watch her vanish. The air around her shimmered and rippled and he found it hard to focus. And before he realized it, the girl was gone.

Inuyasha stood there in stunned silence.

"WHAT THE **FUCK**?!"

HIs cry echoed throughout the meadow and he angrily stomped back to the metal box, grumbling obscenities. He didn't know how long Kagome was gone. Ten minutes? Thirty? Eventually, he caught her bloodied scent on the peripheries of the woods and once again, he came crashing to her side, concern and frustration written plainly on his face.

"Explain yourself wench! And then sit still while I lick you!"

For some reason, that earned him another shriek and a slap. A book was thrust into his chest. Inuyasha rubbed his abused cheek while Kagome slipped past him and stomped toward the meadow.

"Don't come near me until you've read that whole thing!"

Birdsong and leaves rustling provide a soothing backdrop to Inuyasha's sexual education lesson. The book started innocently enough, something about X and Y and strange curly things called DNA. Then things got really weird. And then things got really, really embarrassing.

"AGH!"

Inuyasha slammed the book shut so hard, his palms tingled from the impact. And then the curiosity sprouted and the book was opened again.

The phases a woman has were mysterious and complicated things, Inuyasha decided. With a calmer mind, he might be able to read the textbook from beginning to end, absorbing every detail. But between what had transpired with Kagome just a moment earlier, and the diagrams and photographs displayed in full color in the pages, Inuyasha's poor brain was anything but calm.

Red straight up to his hairline, Inuyasha trudged out of the forest and toward his box. The sight of his dilated, stunned eyes made Kagome snicker and it was the sound of her mirth that brought Inuyasha's mind back to the present.

"Uh, yeah, I read it."

"Yeah, so, no licking. Ok?"

The sentence nearly floored him when he remembered his suggestion from earlier.

"Yeah, no licking, ok."

The awkward silence stretched out between them. Inuyasha picked at his claws, unable to glance in her direction without blushing to the tips of his ears.

"So, I'm going to catch up on some homework."

"Yeah, got it, ok."

"I brought some chocolate if you want some."

"Yeah, got it, ok."

"Oh, and you called me wench a bunch today so no ramen for a while."

"Yeah, got it, ok."

"Inuyasha…?"

"Yeah, got it, ok."

"Inuyasha!"

"Yeah… What? What is it?"

Kagome's eyes danced with both humor and annoyance.

"Never mind, just give the book back when you're done."

"Yeah, got it, ok."


	8. Closer

**Silver boy with golden eyes**

~Kitty

 **Closer**

* * *

"Nine… Ten! Ready or not, here I come!"

A hunched shape watched her from the trees. He allowed a predatory smile creep over his face as he watched the girl below him peer through the grasses and bushes seeking him out. He liked summer vacation. Without exams or homework to worry about, Kagome's visits were always way more fun.

As the girl drew closer, Inuyasha could feel the shy tendrils of her power reaching out and searching for him. They never really addressed it directly, but there was a special kind of power tucked inside of the girl. He could sense it. And she could sense him, and people's intentions, and the auras of good and bad spirits around her neighborhood. And now she exercised her powers while searching for him in the undergrowth.

"Inuyasha! I found you!"

Her voice came from directly below him and he looked down to find her bright brown eyes shining up at him.

"Keh," he said, jumping down, "My turn."

"You have to count to one hundred!"

Kagome took off running, hearing Inuyasha complain loudly behind her.

"One hundred is too damn long!"

Kagome giggled to herself as she ran through the forest. Hide and seek never really went on very long between the two of them. It was never easy to hide from Inuyasha. Then again, it was hard for him to hide from her as well.

She raced through the undergrowth and found a little creek which she ran along, hoping to lose her scent in the water. A little further up and the stream was crossed by a downed tree and she found it hollow inside and carefully tucked herself in it.

Inuyasha often cheated when it came to counting for their game and so she was sure he would start looking for her very soon. Sure enough, the crunch of footsteps approached her tree and the tingle of his presence alerted her to him.

"I got you now, wen-Kagome!"

Kagome squealed and raced out of the tree, scattering old leaves and dirt as she scrambled to her feet and made a mad dash for the meadow. He followed her leisurely, if he chased her in earnest, it would all be over too quickly. He had to admit, there was something appealing about the chase, watching her slender figure push itself to its furthest physical limits in front of him, her hair wildly streaming out behind her.

Three...

Two…

One…

"Gotcha!"

Her laughter rang out across the meadow as she felt him grab her from behind. They tumbled down to the grass, the boy acrobatically managing to shield her from the impact. She was breathless and clung to him weakly as her lungs worked hard to catch up. Lying on top of his chest, she smiled down at him, trying to accuse him of cheating between pants.

"Keh," he replied, rolling his eyes.

He rather liked this position too, he decided. The sun reflecting off her hair caused it to create a glowing halo around her face.

He wanted to reach out to touch the radiant image.

With a sniff and a sigh, he sat up, tightly fisting his hands lest they wander without his consent.

"Caught your breath yet, weakling."

Kagome stuck her tongue out at him, still gripping the collar of his haori and resolutely ignoring the fact that she was straddling his hips. It took her another minute to finally catch her breath.

"You're a pooper," she declared, "Let's take a break, I made brownies with my friends yesterday, want some?"

He'd smelled the chocolate in her bag when she first arrived. He grimaced.

"I don't think I can eat that stuff."

"Eh? Why."

Inuyasha made a face, reluctant to tell her that he'd puked his guts out the last time she brought something that smelled like that to their meadow.

"I mean, I guess cats can't have chocolate, but they can't have cookies and ramen and everything else you've been eating either."

Inuyasha sputtered and nearly tripped on his way back to the box.

"CAT?!"

Kagome stared innocently back at him.

"You're not a cat?"

"What the fuck? Hell no!"

"But then what's with the cat ears?"

"Fucking wench. They're **dog** ears. I'm a **dog** demon!"

Kagome was right beside him, intent on taking a closer look, and pulling his face down for her inspection.

"No way! You're ears look just like a cat!"

"Well, they're not, stupid wench!"

He wrenched his face away from her grasp, fighting the splash of red on his cheeks. When she'd pulled is face closer to look at his ears, he'd found himself staring straight down her shirt.

"Inuyasha…"

"C'mon, isn't it obvious by my **name**?"

"Inuyasha…"

"What?"

"No ramen for another two days."

"WHAT?! Dammit woman!"

…

They sat comfortably beside the metal box. Kagome enjoyed the sunshine and the cool grass below her. Inuyasha grumped.

"Please?"

"No."

"I'll bring ramen tomorrow," she bargained.

"Keh, it better be a whole fucking case."

"I can't bring that much, mom would really start to suspect me."

Inuyasha snorted.

"Keh, like she doesn't already think you're weird for going to bed with a giant packed backpack every night."

Kagome rolled her eyes before shifting to lean against him, trying to slyly inch closer toward his ears.

"It ain't happening, woman!"

With a sigh and a pout, Kagome sat back up and pulled up her knees to rest her cheek on them.

"My cat, Buyo, loves it when I pet his ears."

"I ain't your cat!"

"You used to let me."

"Keh."

"Fine, I'll bring a case of ramen, but it'll have to be five packets at a time."

Inuyasha's ears perked up and he turned to assess how sincere the offer was. Kagome looked back at him, her lips pinched together in an adorable pout and he almost poked her cheeks to see how they'd deflate.

"Five minutes for every five packs."

Kagome threw her hands in the air. "Oh my god, you're impossible!"

"Keh, you're the annoying wen-er-girl that wants to grope my ears."

"Can I get a teaser now?"

"A what?"

"Just give me one minute! I promise I'll bring ramen tomorrow."

They stared at each other for a few breaths. Inuyasha couldn't deny the temptation, it obviously wasn't a bad deal on his end. And she'd been denying him ramen for the past week.

"Bah, fine."

"Yay!"

He tilted his head towards her and let her lean in closer. Her hands now were so different from the clumsy, chubby, baby fingers that used to play with his ears. They really knew what they were doing.

What started as soft, gentle stroking, turned more confident and firm. Her fingers didn't just stay at his ears and moved to massage where they attached to his head. And the sensations they elicited rippled through his body and he couldn't help the contented purr that rumbled through his chest.

"You _sure_ you're not a cat? Cause you're purring like one."

"Oi!"

Before Inuyasha could make a half-hearted swipe at her, the alarm beside her bed went off and Kagome raced off gleefully, her laughter ringing in his ears. As her scent faded from the meadow, Inuyasha let himself plop back down onto the grass. A tentative hand reached up to touch his own ear. A frown creased the skin between his eyebrows. And a knot pressed tightly inside his gut.

Things were changing between them. Whether the girl was oblivious to it, or had resolved not to address it, he knew he couldn't ignore it for much longer. With an increasing sharpness, her absence was felt in every corner of his box and his heart and more and more he ventured to the edge of the meadow, wondering if today, today, would the forest let him through. Inuyasha sighed, letting his hand fall back into his lap, gazing off into the distance reflectively. Her imprint was no longer just a scent that lingered on his clothes and in her gifts. Phantom hands and imagined warmth. They pressed into the creases of his mind and took up residence in his heart. She was his whole world now. All he looked forward to and all he came alive for. And it wasn't enough.


	9. Don't Forget Me

**Silver boy with golden eyes**

~Kitty

 **Don't Forget Me**

* * *

"Inuyasha! Inuyasha!"

And here she comes, bounding back. Inuyasha stepped out of his box and met with a sight he hadn't expected. Her arms were laden with clothes and shoes and she was a colorful walking wardrobe. She came gasping up to him, out of breath with cheeks flushed.

"What the hell is all this?"

"I have a date! I have a date tomorrow! I don't know what to wear!"

Her eyes were frantic and she looked at him desperately. Honestly, she was surprised she fell asleep at all tonight.

Inuyasha was busy taking in the mess of clothes and random other items in her hands.

"What's a date?"

Kagome heaved a sigh, dumping her things down on the ground and sorted through the odds and ends.

"A date is when you go out with a boy and have dinner and talk and get to know each other."

Inuyasha frowned.

"Why do you care what you wear for this 'date' then?"

Kagome gaped at him.

" _Because,_ you want him to _like_ you!" She said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Something tickled the edges of Inuyasha's consciousness, like an insect crawling up his leg.

"Why do you care if this guy likes you?"

Kagome threw her hands up in an exasperated fashion.

"Never mind, just help me pick something to wear!"

Kagome promptly let herself into his metal box and slammed the door on his face.

"Oi! Get outta my box!"

Inuyasha angrily slammed open the sliding door to demand the intruder to leave. The sight he came upon froze him straight down to his toes. Naked save for a thin, lacy scrap of fabric across her bottom and her chest, the two young people stared at each other for a breath. And then things started flying at his face.

"PERVERT!"

Inuyasha's ears rang with her screeching voice and while his mind tried its best to catch up with what was happening, Kagome had forcefully kicked him back out and slammed the door on him again. Inuyasha held up the old teddy bear she'd flung at him, dazedly staring at the two black beaded eyes. It was as if the sight of her bare skin had been branded into the very backs of his eyeballs and he buried his face in the worn stuffed animal's belly, desperately trying to erase the vision he'd just witnessed from his mind, while at the same time committing every last detail to memory.

After several minutes, the shoji door slid open shyly to reveal a very pretty young woman, the swishing fabric of her skirt instantly catching the white-haired boy's gaze.

"What do you think, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked him nervously, trying to decide how to read his expression.

"Uh… uh, looks good?"

"Just good?"

Kagome fiddled with the skirt, then the blouse, and then all Inuyasha could look at was the shirt's neckline and how gracefully it lay against her chest.

He gulped.

"I'll try on the next one."

Kagome slapped the door shut and made a bustle of rustling sounds from behind the door. Dates are fun things, Inuyasha decided, if he was going to get a fashion show like this each time.

This time, when Kagome slid open the door, the blush on her face was unmistakable and she nervously tugged at the hem of her shirt to straighten it out. She'd seen the way he looked at her first outfit, how his eyes roved her body up and down and it made her giddy and frightened all at the same time.

"How's this one?"

Inuyasha was better prepared to appreciate the outfit this time and took more care to critique the paired jeans and top. He had to say, he preferred the teasing of the skirt to the jeans.

"First one was better."

The next outfit. The next outfit had Inuyasha all up in arms. There wasn't a chance in fucking hell that he would let _anyone_ see _his_ Kagome in _that_ outfit.

Inuyasha swallowed hard.

"Why are you going on this date again?"

It was a struggle to keep his eyes on her face. The dress was still modest by most standards except for the way it clung to her curves and plunged down her back. He positively drank the vision in with his eyes and his mouth felt very, very dry.

If the boy hadn't been so distracted by the visual temptations, he might have noticed how Kagome adapted very quickly to his strong reaction to her clothes. The shyness turned coy, and a dash of sultry crept into her movements. She was enjoying having this effect on him.

"My friends pushed me into it," she said, "This boy in my class asked me out today. We're going to dinner downtown tomorrow."

Inuyasha's mind was quickly catching up and strongly disliking where this conversation was going.

"You're going to dinner with this guy? Alone?"

Kagome arched an eyebrow and crossed her arms.

"Yeah, that's kind of the idea."

"NO."

"What?"

"I said NO. You're not going, Kagome."

"Of course I'm going!" Kagome frowned, her anger sparking at the thought of him forbidding her to do something she chosen to do.

"No! Out of the question. Now get out of those clothes."

Inuyasha shoved her back into the box and slammed the door shut. Kagome began to change but shouted through the door.

"You can't stop me! I can go out on dates if I want to!"

A growl crept into Inuyasha's voice as he shouted back at her.

"I don't like it! I said no! What's the point anyway?"

Kagome slammed the door open, a deep frown etched onto her face. Her ire was real now and she didn't hold back when she answered him.

"Maybe I like this boy! Maybe I want to get to know him better! Maybe I want to grow up and date boys and kiss and have sex and get married!"

Somehow, it was as if all his fears were coming true before he even realized he feared these things. A myriad of emotions crossed his face and his throat worked hard to dislodge the lump that sprang up behind his voice box.

"Fine then! Get lost! See if I care."

Inuyasha shoved his way past her, back into his box. He grabbed the clothes she held in her hands and slammed the door, which vanished as he closed off his heart to her to struggle with his rampaging emotions alone inside the metal structure.

Kagome screamed at him to return her things, pounded on the walls of the cage he'd built for himself. For a long time, she demanded entry and was ignored. And then for several hours, they sat in silence against the metal walls, neither willing to surrender first. Kagome stared at the discarded teddy bear, angry and hurt by Inuyasha's behavior. And by a strange thread of feeling that pulled at her heart.

Nostalgia.

Kagome pushed herself forward to pick up the teddy bear. So he'd kept it with him all these years. She'd noticed the terrible artwork she'd given him on the walls of the box, several old books and an old cassette player she'd given him one day. Kagome held the stuffed animal close, smelling the old musty scent and another wave of nostalgia washed over her.

Her childhood was ending.

That's what she was feeling. Her childhood was ending and that meant leaving things behind. She suddenly had an inkling of understanding. And then she felt an inkling of doubt. Her brow creased and a very serious question came to her mind.

"Inuyasha? No matter what happens, this place will always be here, right? You'll always be here?"

When he didn't answer, a shock of terror ran through her heart.

"Inuyasha?"

Her voice was met with silence.

"INUYASHA?!"

"What the **fuck** is it? Don't you have to go on your **date**?"

The window was slammed open and his angry face glared at her but she never felt so much relief. And then she was crying, because the thought of losing Inuyasha left a hole nearly as large as the one her father had left and she didn't want to think about it anymore. Didn't want to wonder about whether these dreams were real, and if they were, whatever magic permitted their regular meetings would sustain for the rest of her life. She needed Inuyasha to be real and permanent in her life.

And then he was outside again, concern twisting his face as he stared at her, a clawed hand on each of her shoulders.

"What's the matter with you, wench?"

"Can I have a lock of your hair?"

"EH?!"

"Please?"

Kagome looked up at him desperately.

"Please?"

The racket of her alarm broke the tension in the meadow and both of them jumped in surprise.

"Argh, fine wench, but bring me ramen tomorrow."

He took a section of hair in his hands and sliced it off with his claws. Kagome held it close to her chest and for a moment, the look on her face seemed to reach down into his soul. A sadness crept onto his face as he brought up a hand to her cheek.

"Go on your date, wench. And don't forget the ramen."

He watched her disappear into the forest and just before her scent vanished, he couldn't help himself and begged into the silence.

"Don't forget me…"


	10. If you dare

**Silver boy with golden eyes**

~Kitty

 **If you dare**

* * *

He knew the instant she arrived, just like every time she arrived. The knot twisted viciously in his stomach and nothing could dispel the grey in his mind. He made no move to go to her.

Kagome emerged from the forest, jogging lightly to reach the meadow. The familiar red figure was not there waiting for her and her pace slowed to a walk.

"Inuyasha?"

Kagome walked around the metal box to peer inside the window.

He was not there.

A fear prickled at the back of her neck and she moved on to the door. Sliding it open, she stepped inside and looked around.

"Inuyasha?"

There was less confidence in her voice then, and more fear. Running back outside, she cast her eyes about desperately looking for him. He could sense her spreading her little feelers, seeking him out, finding him, leading her to him.

"Inuyasha!"

There was distress in her voice. He tried to quell the tremor in his heart and straighten himself in preparation to face her.

A few more rustles and her form broke through the underbrush.

"Inuyasha!"

Now her voice had taken on a vexed tone and her face expressed her annoyance clearly. He took a breath and hopped down.

"Why didn't you answer me?"

"Keh, it's not like I'm here to answer to your beck and call, wench."

Kagome placed a fist on each hip.

"So, you've given up on ever getting ramen again?"

The boy frowned. "Oi, you promised to bring ramen today!"

"Sure, today. But keep it up with 'wench' and you won't be getting ramen for the rest of the week!"

"Keh."

They hovered there in the forest for an awkward moment.

"So," his voice was snide as he asked his question, "How was your date?"

Kagome sighed, and shifted uncomfortably, playing with the drawstrings of her pajama pants.

"It was fine, I guess."

And then more silence.

And then a scent.

Inuyasha frowned and bent over, sniffing her around her shoulders, his nose bringing him close to her neck. Kagome didn't move, just stood there while he investigated her, a serenity in her expression that was never there before.

"You smell like me," he said, confused. The frown on his face clearly expected to be answered.

"Yeah? Do I?"

"Oi, wench, what did you do?"

Kagome moved to run her hands along her neck, exposing a chain that held a pendant that reflected the light as it was brought out. Wordlessly, she took it in her hands and opened the tiny locket to reveal the hair he'd given her yesterday.

"I can keep you with me now," she told him softly. She kept her eyes down, which was a shame. The expression on his face would have become a memory she took with her to her grave. Instead, she watched his hands come up to take hold of the locket, closing it on his hair and turning it over to see the simple design etched onto its surface.

"My date said it looked pretty on me."

At first, rage, bubbling up at the mention of the boy who had her all to himself that evening. And then confusion, and realization, and astonishment.

"You had this on your date?"

Now, Kagome looked up at him, a soft smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

"Yeah," she said, sighing, "I did."

Kagome was looking at him, her eyes clearly expecting him to say something. And when it became obvious that his brain wasn't going to come up with anything right then, her soft smile grew into a grin and she laughed.

"Ok, ok," she said, grabbing hold of his hand, "Let's go make that ramen."

…

Every time she visited, she wore the locket. Every time he saw it, a strange warmth spread throughout his body. Something was changing in their relationship. By this time, the both of them were painfully aware of it. It was at the forefront of their minds as they sat together beside his metal box. It clamored for attention when their hands touched. It danced around them whenever they teased each other, or played their games out in the meadow, or at times like this when they locked eyes for just a moment too long. But then one would look away and break the tension.

"Truth or dare!"

"Truth," Kagome said, slurping up the last of her ramen.

"Ugh…"

Inuyasha could never figure out good questions to ask her. There was very little he felt he cared to know, having watched her grow up. He wracked his brain, searching for a good question.

"What do you want."

"Huh?" Kagome frowned at him. Of all the horrible silly questions he'd ever come up with, this one just might take the cake.

"No, I mean. Well fuck," he sputtered, "I mean, like, in life. What do you want in life."

The girl gave him a deadpan expression then turned inward to give the question some real thought.

"Do you mean, in all of life? Or if I could have one wish, what would it be?"

"Yeah."

"Dude, Inuyasha, that doesn't answer my question."

"Keh, _you're_ supposed to answer _my_ question, it's your turn."

"Yeah, well, it's a stupid question."

Kagome rubbed her head, deciding to go with the one wish interpretation.

"If I could have one wish, right now, I guess it would be for you to come with me the next time I go back."

"Eh?" Inuyasha was startled. Of all the things to wish for, she would make a wish for him?

"Yeah, I mean, you complain all the time about how boring it is here when I'm gone. Wouldn't it be great if you could go to school with me? And we could hang out like normal friends?"

Inuyasha stared at her, unable to come up with a response. The look on his face startled Kagome, finding a bit of pain and joy and despair all at once in those golden eyes. Her heart thudded painfully in her chest, sensing that a chord had been struck and it was reverberating inside of him now. She'd only just begun to realize the complexity of both his existence in her life, and in his own emotional experience.

"Um, your turn then. Truth or dare."

"Dare."

Kagome pouted. "You never pick truth."

"Keh, got nothing to tell you."

Kagome rolled her eyes and thought for a bit. It was something she'd been contemplating for a while now. Idly daydreamed during lecture in school. Did she now have the courage to come out with this dare?

"I dare you…," she peeked at him through her lashes, "I dare you to kiss me."

The silence, albeit short, was painfully loud in her ears.

"Eh? That's it?"

Kagome jerked her head up to stare at him.

' _That's it?!'_

"Huh?" Kagome was confused. She expected him to sputter, or get embarrassed, or blush, or all of the above.

"Why do you wanna get kissed anyway?"

This was backfiring quickly. Kagome felt the heat rising in her cheeks and she tried to cover up her miscalculation.

"J-J-Just curious," Kagome stuttered, "I-I've never been kissed before."

Inuyasha frowned. "Whaddya mean you never been kissed before? Ain't your mom ever kiss you?"

"Well… well, yeah, but I've never been kissed by a guy…"

Inuyasha was still frowning, clearly not understanding the dare. And Kagome had had just about all she could bear. She shook her head, looking away.

"Agh! Fine, never mind, I'll think of something else, I'll-"

Kagome very nearly bit off her tongue when she felt his breath on her face, then a pair of rough lips against her cheek.

"There," Inuyasha said, lifting his arm to cover the blush on his face, "Truth or dare."

"But… but… that's not what I meant!"

"Oi! You dared me to kiss you and I kissed you! Now, truth or dare!"

"I didn't mean on the cheek!"

"Where the hell else would I kiss you?"

"On my l-," Kagome snapped her mouth shut. Never mind, this was a terrible idea. She looked away from him angrily and spat out, "Dare!"

She was still giving the ground a withering stare when his voice broke through her fuming thoughts. It was surprisingly soft, a little tentative, spoken low in his chest with a rasp that sent a shiver up her spine.

"Kiss me the way you wanted me to kiss you."


	11. Mind stuck on replay

**Silver boy with golden eyes**

~Kitty

 **Mind stuck on replay**

* * *

He raced through the trees, leaping from branch to branch. His muscles sang as he jumped, bunching together and releasing like a coiled spring. With every airborne leap, his heart cried out for more. Jump higher, run faster!

His throat tightened, then released a great howl into the air. Birds scattered and he laughed at their frantic flight. There was nothing to sour his mood. He was freedom personified.

God, that kiss.

It took a long time to run until he was out of breath but he'd managed it. With one last leap, he brought himself back to the meadow near his box and flopped down onto the grass.

His mind took him back to that moment. Time and time again he felt the kiss, her lips warm and wet against his. He never resisted it. Over and over, her face as it went from shock to embarrassment, the way she bit her lips as she brought up her courage. In the time after their first kiss, he felt he'd been kissed a thousand times and his mind continued the replay, and they kissed again.

He couldn't help the wide smile that seemed permanently spread across his face and he rolled over to his stomach, feeling embarrassed despite no one being there to see. He closed his eyes and he was back there again and again her lips found his.

Burning.

The knot that had been plaguing him in his stomach simply burned away.

And the burning grew outward until all his fingers and every toe tingled.

She kissed him again in his mind and he flipped over, sat up, and then he was running again.

Chaste.

And sweet.

And hot.

So, so hot.

His heart, his mind, his entire body burned.

He leaped through the air, he raced along the creek, he tore through the leaves and the branches and completed several more tours of the meadow and the surrounding forest.

She'd been so shy. A little fist gripped the locket around her neck as though she could draw strength from the talisman. Her expressions wavered from fright to determination, then uncertainty, and excitement, and determination again.

Inuyasha paused in his flight, closing his eyes and leaning against a tree trunk as he perched on its branch. The vision of her, drawing closer, looking away then looking into his eyes.

He was off again, practically flying, his feet never staying long on the ground.

Again and again, her lips met his. Again and again, they brushed against him lightly, shyly, sending electric currents racing through his body and mind and stealing his breath.

The hand she placed on his chest as she drew closer left a searing mark in his mind and he could still feel her weight as she pressed closer. The hair that drifted to his cheek as her face neared his, he could still feel the tickle as it dragged across his skin.

He howled again into the sunlight, jubilant and uncontainable. She kissed him! She kissed him! She kissed him! Oh man, she kissed him!

* * *

A/N: Cause everyone remembers their first kiss to excruciating detail, right?


	12. Two steps back, a shy step forward

**Silver boy with golden eyes**

~Kitty

 **Two steps back, a shy step forward**

* * *

She was here. Inuyasha sat rigidly inside his box and his heart thudded painfully against his ribs. She was here. He nervously ran a hand through his hair, unprepared for this despite having all day to think about how he'd greet her.

It would probably be too abrupt to immediately ask to kiss again, right?

He nibbled on his lips, inhibitions and desires swarming in his gut like a hive of angry bees and he hastily wiped away a nervous sweat as he tried to prepare for her eventual arrival.

Kagome moved slowly through the forest along that familiar path. She half expected her dog-demon friend to appear beside her the instant she arrived and she couldn't decide if it was a relief or a disappointment that he didn't. Her head was positively swimming with what had occurred during her last visit and a large part of her wanted to wake up and flee. An even greater part of her desperately wanted to see him again.

At long last and all too soon, the meadow came into view and the familiar red shape beside the grey metal box stood waiting for her. As though on instinct, her legs started to move faster and faster and then she was running headlong toward him without any thought of slowing down or stopping.

Wham!

The impact of their bodies was enough to partially knock the wind out of him and he held her tight while they both recovered.

"Hey Inuyasha!"

Her voice was light and happy and she beamed up at him with bright eyes.

"Hey yourself, wench."

A fluttering of a shadow flickered on her face and she pouted.

"C'mon Inuyasha, do you have to keep calling me that?"

"Yep."

For the butterflies he awakened when he smirked at her in that special way he had, she supposed she could forgive him. She rolled her eyes at him and shifted to let her backpack fall to the ground. It settled with a crinkle and Inuyasha's ears perked right up.

"Whaddya bring me?"

He was disappointed to find no ramen in the bag but instead, several colorful packets that smelled metallic and strange. He eyed them curiously, reading the label.

"Sparklers…? Oi, what are sparklers?"

"Ooh!" Kagome knelt beside him, her hair wafting towards his face, "These are fun! I'll show you."

The girl looked up to see the demon beside her red in the face with a hand over his nose.

"What's the matter with you?" The frown on her face was a perplexed one.

"I-... I-," Inuyasha stuttered, "keh, wench, you stink."

Inuyasha instantly regretted his comment before it even fully exited his mouth. As her face turned dark, he regretfully relinquished any thought of kissing her again from his mind and turned toward her to face the anger his wayward tongue had created.

"Excuse me?!" Kagome asked, incredulous. She hurled the color packet at his face and began to stomp off in a huff.

"Figure them out yourself then, you jerk!"

More than anger, Kagome felt the stinging insult and resulting pain more deeply because of her anticipation at seeing him tonight. Her mind had been buzzing like mad all day and she even went to bed early that night, eager to resume where they'd left off the night before when her alarm interrupted the new step they'd taken together.

And then he goes and says this!

Kagome angrily pushed leaves and branches aside as she trudged through the forest, not noticing the graying sky or the cool wind toying with her hair. In her blind rush through the woods, her feet had taken her back to the creek, to the hollowed out old log she liked to hide in during their games and she crawled inside now, finding comfort in the confined space. Circling her arms around her legs, she hugged herself tightly, battling the torrent of frustrated anger that raged inside her.

Before long, she felt him outside the log and resolutely held back her tears, knowing he'd smell them on her if she let them loose. They stayed like that for a long time, Kagome curled up inside the log, Inuyasha hovering nervously outside. It certainly wasn't their first fight. This could hardly be considered a real spat compared to the arguments they've had in the past. But something more serious had changed between them and it colored this latest turbulence differently than before. Eventually, Kagome felt she had her heart under control and glanced up, out a little chink in the wood around her to spot Inuyasha fidgeting just a few paces away.

While he wasn't aware of her gaze, she observed him critically. His movements were agitated and the little white triangles of his ears drooped almost temptingly, as if calling for her to pet them. A fang protruded from his mouth where it dug into his lips and the expression painted on his face was contrite, dejected, and if Kagome gazed at it for much longer, she was sure she'd forgive him for the sincerity she saw there.

He looked up quickly when he heard her shifting inside the wooden log. Her dark head emerged, followed by shoulders and body, and she stood before him, her mussed hair curling around her face to frame it enticingly. With arms crossed in front of her, she set her jaw and stared him down, clearly waiting for him to speak, to apologize.

The tense silence was grating at him and his brain was spinning with things he could say, none of them seeming intelligent enough to utter aloud.

"Are we just gonna stand around here glaring at each other all day?"

Her voice was clipped and sharp and he winced internally to hear how cold it was. Again, his mouth opened and responded before he could bring his mind to clarity.

"Keh, I ain't the one glaring, bitch."

His heart shrank further inside his chest to hear his tongue's audacity. It was true though, he was having trouble holding her gaze for any amount of time and so his eyes kept touching the air around her face, never really focusing on her.

Kagome decided to take advantage of his eyes' flightiness and took the initiative to carefully observe his expression. They had been friends for a long time, her whole life, and though his words and tone hurt her, she could tell they were hurting him as well. Her frustration mounted as she mulled over his immaturity and knack for finding the worst possible thing to say at the worst moment.

"Did you hate that kiss so much that now my scent nauseates you or something?"

His eyes were round and stunned as he looked up sharply.

"No-, I-, well-, er-, how could you think that?"

"Then why are you being so touchy?"

"I-, well, I mean-, FUCK!"

Kagome threw up her hands. "You're so impossible!"

She turned on her heel and started marching away. Unable to bring out a rational train of thought, Inuyasha relinquished control to instinct and this time, it just might save him.

"Kagome, wait!"

He reached out to grab her arm firmly and she whirled around, tears of frustration brimming in her eyes.

"What?" she snapped.

Her face was a picture of conflicting emotions that almost mirrored his own.

"I didn't hate it," he said to her, his eyes bright and direct.

Kagome had lost her patience some time ago however and rolled her eyes.

"Then what is your problem?"

"You're my problem, bitch!"

A small part of him panicked as a darker, more savage part of him broke loose and started to rant.

"You're my fucking problem! Your scent is driving me up the walls, and my brain goes to _shit_ when you're around, and when you go off to fuck knows where, I'm stuck in this fucking shithole and I can't stop thinking about where you are and who the fuck you're with and if you're ever coming back!"

He took a deep breath after that run on sentence and continued.

"Yesterday was the most fucking amazing day of my life and I spent all damn day today reliving it so will you fucking kiss me again because I'm losing my fucking mind!"

Kagome stood in stunned silence, forgetting the bruises forming where Inuyasha held her around her shoulders. Now it was her turn to struggle to keep up and her brain tried to process the confession sentence by sentence. In the meantime, Inuyasha's eyes flashed red as he glared down at her, hardly breathing as he waited.

"Well, bitch?"

"You…, I…, eh…," Kagome throat worked hard, but without any words supplied by her brain, all she could do was stutter. Inuyasha let out a frustrated growl, realizing that he was hurting her and desperately trying to reel himself back in. The bitter scent of fear registered in his mind and his whole being shuddered in horror by what had just occurred. Not only had he just laid his heart bare for her, but he managed to do it while frightening her.

A dark, almost sinister voice inside him whispered to his heart. ' _Kiss her, kiss her now, you fool.'_

But then she was crying and his greater concern for the girl helped him shove aside the inner demon and he dropped to the ground as she wobbled and fell to her own knees.

"K-Kagome?" he ventured nervously.

"Y-y-you didn't hav-ve to yell a-at me…." Her hands were up at her face and he desperately wanted to reach out to hold her. However, knowing that, this time, he was the cause of her tears threaded a string of guilt through his nerves and held his hands uselessly by his sides.

When her hands finally fell away from her face, Inuyasha fell into confusion to see her smiling at him and he stared dumbfounded as she tried to wipe the moistness off her face.

"T-That was one hell of a conf-fession, Inuyasha," she told him, voice still shaking as her crying subsided.

"I-I couldn't tell if y-you were going to kiss me, or e-eat me." A bubble of near hysterical laughter erupted from her throat.

Inuyasha was at a loss for what to do and his brain was an uncomfortable, fuzzy blank. He was beginning to wonder if she'd lost her mind and was quickly brought back to reality when she reached out to touch his sleeve.

She was positively beaming, now that her brain had caught up with the situation and understood his little tirade. Shyly, she scooted forward on her knees until they touched his, a slowly burning heat growing outward from the contact. Her eyes were wide and deep and he fell into her gaze willingly, feeling the change in the atmosphere and, fuck it, he was liking where this was going.

She was so close, her breath was loud in his ears and he swore he could hear her pulse. In a near identical reenactment of the day before, she placed a shy palm against his chest and glanced down at his partially open mouth, feeling her breath catch in her throat and she nibbled at her own lips as she found her resolve. And then, her heartbeat thrumming in her ears, her eyes returned to his, allowing herself to be transfixed for a second, two seconds, before letting them flutter closed and bringing her lips to his.

* * *

A/N: Sorry folks, it's been a while since high school for me. Not sure how realistic teenage Kagome and Inuyasha are here but I think I'm happy with this… hope you guys enjoyed!


	13. Come-Stay with me

**Silver boy with golden eyes**

~Kitty

 **Come/Stay with me**

* * *

The day was bright and sunny and the forest rustled with life. Birds and insects sang their songs and a lonely figure sat atop his metal box, gazing off in the direction she'd disappeared from. The leaves had long since stopped rustling and he rolled a thin, metallic and chemical covered stick in his hands. He glanced down at it and shifted, pulling out the funny little plastic contraption Kagome had brought him, and clumsily flicked the sparkwheel until he'd managed a little lonely flame. Sort of like him, he mused with more than a little melancholy. Raising the stick in his other hand, he lit the tip and watched the sparkler frantically spit off little fiery embers, popping as it went. He didn't react when the little flecks of light landed on his clothes and skin, they didn't burn. Staring at the shower of sparks, his mind drifted back to earlier that day, when two young people slowly began to explore each other in a way they've never done before.

...

 _Complete, it was the first time he'd ever felt complete._

 _For the first several seconds, he didn't move, couldn't move. Kagome shifted above him, shyly bringing her hands up to his face, allowing her body to lean forward on her knees, pressing more firmly against his lips. The heat grew slowly between then and drew him out, and he finally reacted when her fingers found the ears that were laid back against his head._

 _He pushed back against her gently, matching her intensity. One clawed hand reached up to cover her slender one still resting on his chest and he squeezed that delicate fist, pressing it harder against his body. His other came around behind her, catching her as he rose up to lean into her more aggressively._

 _When they broke apart for air, both their eyes spent several moments coming to focus. Their breath mingled with each other and tickled their cheeks and a sense of pride rippled up from inside him._

" _Heh," he said, a great, wide smirk growing on his face._

 _Kagome rolled her eyes. "Ugh, shut up, don't ruin this."_

 _She brought both her hands up to his face and pulled him toward her again. Words were not his forte but this, this he could do. Inuyasha wasted no time. Contrary to the prior kisses with their tender softness, this one took on a more animalistic quality and he pulled her into him entirely, pressing her body flush against his and a gasp escaped her lips just as he recaptured them._

 _And he thought their first kiss had sparked a fire inside of him._

 _This one gave birth to an inferno._

...

Inuyasha blushed now, sitting atop his box, holding the now cold sparkler in his hand. He'd briefly wondered if he should have been gentler, then again, Kagome had always been outspoken with him and she certainly didn't seem to mind. Unconsciously, a wide, wolfish smile crept across his face as his memories danced through his mind. A part of him wanted to capture her completely, keep her with him until he'd sated all his curiosity and hunger for this new kind of intimacy they'd discovered. Sighing wistfully, Inuyasha directed his gaze upward, staring off toward the forest. The other part of him urged him to take it slow, to savor the progression.

...

 _She'd stopped them then, pulled away to catch her breath then grinned at him. He felt he ought to say something, anything, but nothing came to mind and he simply leaned forward, resting his forehead against hers. And then they were laughing, at each other, at themselves, at life. And then Kagome jumped up, holding his hands._

" _C'mon, let's try out the sparklers before I need to go."_

 _The sparklers were a strange invention. Inuyasha really couldn't make heads or tails of them. When they got back to his box, Kagome pulled out the colorful packages and handed him a slim, strange smelling stick which he immediately set about sniffing. The young girl giggled at him before gasping in horror when he put the tip into his mouth._

" _Blargh!" Inuyasha sputtered, tossing the offending stick into the grass, "What the fuck is that shit?"_

 _Kagome was clutching her stomach and heaving with laughter._

" _Oh… my… god…! Inu… Read the packaging!"_

 _Inuyasha fought the blush creeping across his cheeks valiantly and attempted to cover his embarrassment by grabbing the package out of her hands._

" _What the fuck? What's the point of this?"_

 _Kagome shook her head and pulled out another two sparklers, handing him one and setting aside the package. She pulled out a bizarre little contraption with an acrid odor and flicked her thumb across it. Flame burst out from one end and Inuyasha's eyes went wide to witness the miracle. The girl winked at him and lit the end of her sparkler._

 _His first reaction was to leap back, startled. Then he lunged forward to swat the sparking sparkler from her hands and stomp it out._

" _Inuyasha!" Kagome said, placing a hand on his shoulder to calm him down, "It's fine, it's supposed to do that. It's supposed to be fun."_

...

Inuyasha chuckled as he gazed at the burnt out sparkler. It was nice, save for the chemical smell and that initial fright. And then his expression turned somber as he recalled the rest of the visit.

…

 _The alarm blared through the air, making Kagome jump. Had the time gone by so quickly? She turned back to him with a sigh, not wanting to part just yet._

" _Come with me," she said, looking up eagerly into his face._

 _Inuyasha frowned, recalling his previous attempts to leave this place._

" _I don't think I can…," he replied, "remember when you broke your leg?"_

 _Kagome looked upward trying to recall the event. She may vaguely remember riding atop his shoulders as he brought her back… but she woke up alone, in her bed._

" _Maybe things are different now?"_

 _Inuyasha looked at her skeptically and she could tell that he was about to refuse her._

" _Come with me," she begged, "Meet my family, meet my friends, come to school with me and hang out after."_

" _It ain't my choice to stay here, ya know." His voice was hardening. He wasn't quite sure why he was feeling defensive but he was and his irritation was beginning to rise in response to her insistence…_

… _And immediately, it fizzled out when she reached towards him and grabbed hold of his hands. She was a bit braver now, and leaned in boldly to leave him a peck on the cheek._

" _Come with me. Please, let's just try." Because she was so close and her scent was so warm. Because the heat from her hands crept upwards toward his heart. Because of the way she looked at him. He finally sighed._

" _Keh, fine."_

…

There was a sharpness in the ache that settled in his chest. The dog-eared figure atop the metal box let his head drop forward, his golden eyes falling to the hands in his lap. Letting the charred sparkler stick fall to the side, he turned up his palms, staring at the clawed hands as though they were separated from his body, not truly his.

Warmth.

Her little slim hands had felt so warm, holding onto his. He didn't truly return the grasp, just allowed her to pull him through the forest, determined to bring him back to her world just like her school books. But there was trepidation in his heart as he walked behind, and the frown of concern etched deeply into his face as the familiar feeling of wrongness began to course through his veins.

And then she let go.

It was probably not fair to describe it that way, but he had panicked when her hand dropped his. But then he realized, it was because she had returned, and he was left behind.

...

 _The crashing disappointed only lasted a moment. The alarm stopped, and a breath or two later, Kagome re-appeared before him. It wasn't completely unprecedented, Kagome often would return only to hit snooze on her alarm before returning to finish up whatever game they were playing. But this time, her eyes met his and there was a desperate sadness in her realization that they couldn't be together in her world._

" _It's ok," he muttered, looking down and fingering the locket around her neck, "you said so yourself, you carry me with you."_

 _She'd captured his hand in hers, those brown doe eyes looking into his and the pity he saw there didn't sit well with him. And then the snooze was up and her alarm clock rattled to life again._

" _Keh, go on." His voice was gruff as he tried to bury the pup inside him that begged not to be abandoned._

 _The alarm was insistent now and the press to leave grew stronger in her mind. Kagome pulled him closer, bringing a hand up to catch his neck. When her lips brushed his, there was a message there she tried to pass on. He caught it and responded and released her. And her image blurred, and then she was gone._

 _Now, into the empty air, Inuyasha was able to give voice to that little pup inside him._

" _Stay with me…"_


	14. -Alternative Endings-

A/N: Just throwing this up for shits and giggles. Originally while writing this story, I had this picture in my head of the meadow and forest burning down, sort of like how a phoenix is reborn, you know? Eventually, I decided on an ending that I think ties up more loose ends. I still like the vision I had for this so I wrote it out and here it is as a sort of haphazard alternate ending.

Hope you enjoy! Thanks for reading!

* * *

 **Silver boy with golden eyes**

~Kitty

 **One way it could end: It ended in flames**

* * *

The heat was real and her skin blistered when the fire brushed her. The meadow, her shelter, her oasis, had become a roaring, terrifying inferno and she mourned its loss, even as his arms carried her away.

They ran for some time. The distance between them and the great column of flames seemed to hold steady and Kagome would have pondered on it more if Inuyasha's shoulder wasn't digging painfully into her chest. His arms were a vice, clamping her tightly to his body. For a small eternity, they fled the angry red of the fire.

…

When Kagome opened her eyes to the soft morning light, it took her several minutes to realize where she was. And several minutes more to remember the fire.

"Inuyasha!"

Terror gripped her. Was he alright? What would become of him now, trapped in a barren, ashy wasteland? The vision of him in her mind, standing alone, burned and smudged with ash, caused tears to spring to her eyes and she threw the covers back over her head, determined to fall back to sleep. Determined to reach him.

A body shifted against her in her bed. Startled, she let out a terrified shriek, ripping the blankets off the bed and staring down at the red-clad figure laying face down beside her.

He groaned, his head protesting the high-pitched noise emanating from beside him.

"Oi…," he muttered painfully, "What gives, wench?"

"Inuyasha?"

Blearily, he shifted to his side, wincing at the soreness in his limbs and the throbbing in his head.

"Keh, who else would it be?"

Her arms were suddenly wrapped around his neck and he froze briefly in surprise.

"Kagome?"

She was crying. The salt of her tears burned against the wounds on his face.

"Oi, wench, what gives?"

Kagome's two hands found purchase against his cheeks and he was hard pressed not to wince. They both took stock of the other, the tossled hair, the soot and ash, the cuts and bruises.

And then Inuyasha saw beyond Kagome.

A warm sunlit room, walls filled with pictures and posters, a desk, a bookshelf. Where was he?

As Kagome saw his eyes wander, growing wider in confusion and amazement, a sob burst out from her chest and she could hardly manage a full sentence.

"You're in my world…," she said, the smile on her face was wide, "Inuyasha, you're free."

* * *

A/N: another alternate ending that really stuck with me that sort of leaves a very bittersweet aftertaste. I rather like it though so I decided to stick it here as well.

* * *

 **Silver boy with golden eyes**

~Kitty

 **Another way it could end: Here to stay**

* * *

Her scent was tinged with sickness and had been for some time. The moment she arrived, he would rush to her side and carry the frail body gently to his box. The sunlight had taken on a sleepy, golden tint in their world and she would sigh as he placed her tenderly down on the dry, golden grass.

"How are you, Inuyasha?"

He turned to her with a raised eyebrow. Her laugh was coarse and raspy in her throat and a cough wracked her frame. His concern was instant and endearing and she raised an old, wrinkled hand to his cheek.

"I'm alright," she said, "The painkillers work even over here."

It was painful for him, to see her bald head and her thin, wispy figure. He knew enough from her father's books all those years ago that the hope of prolonging her life was slim. She'd had her fill of life, she told him, plenty of nieces and nephews to keep her busy, and then grand, and great grand nieces and nephews to congregate at her feet and listen to her stories. When the tumor took root in her unused womb, Inuyasha had been slow to identify the scent that signaled her end and his guilt over the delayed alert nearly destroyed him. Once the cancer metastasized, and her response to treatments stalled, he was forced to watch her, day after day, as she descended towards death.

What would he do without her?

He winced at the thought and Kagome caught the movement.

"Oh, Inuyasha…," she said, "Don't be like that."

She brought her old arms up and he went to her. A whimper and a whine escaped his throat and he exercised immense restraint to prevent himself from crushing her against him. Buried beneath the sickness, her scent surfaced and soothed him.

"Death comes to everyone," she whispered to him, "except you. I'm sorry, Inuyasha. It looks like I'll be leaving you soon."

They stayed like this for hours, as they have done for the last several months. She rested against him, feeling his warmth and his strength and she sighed when she felt that familiar pull to return to the land of the waking.

"Inuyasha…," she said gently.

Wordlessly, the boy rose, and with great care, lifted her up against his chest.

"Inuyasha," she said, "Up, please, up, up, up."

His chest shook with something that was between a laugh and a sob. He raised her against him to lower lips to her forehead. And then they were in the air, the exhilaration of flight momentarily distracted her from her creaky bones and weak body.

…

He stood in the creek, fists clenched, nails digging into his palms, dripping blood into the water. She was late and his heart pounded with fear that she would not come at all. Never come again.

And then a scent on the wind. A vibrant scent. A familiar scent.

Inuyasha paused. Disbelief shone brightly in his eyes. His heart squeezed tightly in his chest and was almost a visceral pain as his brain slowly creaked into motion.

And then he was off, moving faster than he had ever moved before. Legs pumping, lungs panting. He burst into the clearing, the meadow, his box. Frozen at the edge of the forest, without the strength, suddenly, to take a step toward what his nose told him was there.

A familiar figure with dark, long hair stood and turned in his direction. She waved at him, and started toward him. Faster and faster, she ran and he braced himself instinctively and then she lunged for him, the strong, slender body ramming against his chest and clung to him desperately. His arms returned the embrace and he buried his nose into her hair, taking in large drafts of her scent. Free of sickness.

And then she was crying, and shaking, and laughing all at the same time. And then he realized, so was he. The realization entered his brain quietly, almost shyly, but was no less shattering in its impact.

Kagome was here to stay.

* * *

A/N: I know, I know, I'm supposed to only put up polished work… but this story was originally just intended to be a light little distraction and so I didn't really want to invest in a whole lot of time in this anyway. Even more so for a couple little dribbles that "doesn't even happen in the story"

Haha, so, sorry for the subpar quality of this and the story as a whole. I might go through and clean up the grammar and plot holes and things later.

Stay tuned! We're on the final stretch folks!


	15. The feel of you

A/N: Last 3-4 chapters! Yay!

Also, I reread my notes at the end of the "alternative endings" post and realized it might be misleading. Both those endings in chapter 15 are what ifs/ideas I had that I don't intend to be part of the real ending for this story. We are beginning the final arc to the ending starting… now!

* * *

 **Silver boy with golden eyes**

~Kitty

 **The feel of you**

* * *

 _Soft hands against his face, then running down his neck. They pulled back his outer robe and slid coy fingers along his collar bone. The kiss she pressed on him was hot and languid and when her tongue slid out to taste him, he jerked in surprise, an electric shock shooting straight down to his toes. His own hands decided to do some exploration and reveled in the silkiness of her hair, the softness of her skin, the way she arched into him when he pulled her close. When he thought he'd gotten his inner demon under control, his tongue ventured out and a whole new world of sensation was his to discover._

Inuyasha blinked, breaking out of his reverie, and sighed and stretched his arms high and taut above his head. He rocked his head from one side to the other, grunting as the bones in his neck cracked and popped. He glanced outside. He glanced at the clock. He groaned and flopped backward onto the hard metal floor of his box. If he'd been looking forward to her visits in the past, it was an excruciating yearning now.

He'd never known anything like this before… whatever this was. A stray memory of a time before his occupation of this box caused him to frown and he shoved it back into the dark corner it came from. Kagome, Kagome, Kagome. That's all he wanted to think about. Her hair, her lips, the shy, hooded look right before she'd move in. The places she touched still tingled with phantom hands and at will, he could bring back the memory of her caress.

A light growl of frustration rippled through him. She was going to be late today. She told him yesterday that the field trip she was on would involve some sort of late night gathering and so she would be late. He tried to calm himself with a sigh. It didn't work. He needed her with him right now.

The silver haired boy rolled over and reached out to run dangerous, clawed fingers over the scarf that lay in a crumpled heap beside him. She'd forgotten it the day before and he was grateful for it. It smelled so strongly of her. He gently took up the garment in his hands and brought it to his face, inhaling deeply and savoring the remnants of her left on the fabric. With both hands, he sat up and held the rectangular scrap of cloth up in front of him. Kagome had worn it around her neck. Curiously, he wrapped the softness about his shoulders and neck and enjoyed the feel of the scarf against his cheeks.

This is nice.

Closing the heavy book he'd been trying to read and shoving it away into a corner, Inuyasha decided he needed to stretch his legs. Sliding open the door, he stepped outside, smelling the breeze and noting with some happiness that it blended with the girl's scent on the scarf and he decided he would like to have more of her scarves.

The creek they'd found during one of their hide-and-seek games had grown deeper and carried small fish now. He strolled over to the downed log and absently allowed his eyes to follow the flit and flutter of the slim, graceful shapes. The scarf around his neck grew warm and he tugged it off, not wanting to overheat and sweat into it. He didn't want to cover up her scent too much with his. Just enough for their scents to mingle. Even when the fabric had been removed, her scent stayed strong and it felt like she was beside him. Right in front of him.

Inuyasha stared at the space directly ahead.

He swore it really was like she was there. So strange, as though if he were to reach out, he could touch her.

And then a pressure, small and light, against his chest. The boy was so startled, he fell backwards, landing in elbow deep water and muck.

The small hand he felt remained against his chest.

It moved, sneaking up shyly to press against his cheek.

Inuyasha was panting in small, shallow gasps. All his senses fought hard to focus, determined to seek out the presence he thought he felt.

' _Inuyasha…?'_

His ears picked out her voice faintly, echoing through the air as though a whisper on the wind. Where did it come from.

Inuyasha was up on his feet immediately, whipping around, trying to locate the source of her voice.

"Kagome? Kagome, where are you?"

' _Inuyasha… Oh my god….'_

There was a sob in the tone of her voice and he was agitated now, frustrated with her elusive presence.

"Oi, wench! Fucking reveal yourself already!"

' _Hey there! Girl! You can't touch the shrine deity!'_

He growled at the male voice that seemed to be addressing Kagome. Then Inuyasha swore he heard her gasp. And then her scent faded and he heard no more. He stood in the water, eyes wide in confusion and his fists trembled at his sides. Out of a need for comfort, he brought the drenched scarf to his nose, needing the scent of her to calm his nerves.

It was barely there, a majority of it having been washed away by the stream. His forehead creased and he growled his frustration to the little fish that swam up to investigate his bare feet. With a huff, he kicked at the water, dispersing the little flashing swimmers, and marched back to his box to seek out another item with her scent on it.

Around him, the sun still shown without impedance and the grasses still swayed with the gentle breeze. Birdsong was still bright and warm in the air and nothing seemed to have changed. But on the edges of the forest, beyond the point he was not permitted to leave, the boundaries of his prison shimmered, shuddered, and change was coming towards his green paradise, whether he knew it or not.

* * *

A/N: Phew! And I originally promised myself this story would only be a max of ten chapters…. welp, we're almost done! Hope it's as enjoyable to read as it was to write!


	16. A dare for truth

**Silver boy with golden eyes**

~Kitty

 **A dare for truth**

* * *

"Oi, wench, what the **fuck** did you do?!"

"Inuyasha! Oh my god, Inuyasha! I saw you! You were stuck to a tree!"

They both spoke over each other and then slowly processed what the other had said.

"What?!"

"Wench, what do you mean you saw me? What the **fuck** is happening?!"

Kagome took a breath and repeated herself.

"You were stuck to a tree. On my field trip, we went to a shrine. You were the shrine deity! You were pinned to a tree with an arrow! Inuyasha, what exactly happened to you? How did you end up there?!"

Inuyasha listened to her with stunned silence, his hands holding her shoulders tightly without heeding the wince she made when they flexed. She watched his adam's apple swallow with difficulty and finally, he looked away, expression dour and hard.

"Keh, it don't matter anymore," he said in a tone that should have warned her not to press the issue. But Kagome had to know, needed to know.

"Yes it does! We might be able to find a way to set you free. Inuyasha, tell me!"

"I said it don't matter, so drop it, wench!"

He stomped off before he could see her lips tremble and her eyes water, though in his mind he imagined them. Behind him, he heard her sniffle before starting off after him and he breathed a sigh of relief. At least she wasn't angry with him. Or at least not too angry.

As they walked, his mind whirled. The events that lead to him waking up in that strange metal box were fuzzy in his memory and unpleasant. They were not things he liked to dredge up if he could help it. The silence was awkward between them and they sat unspeaking beside each other for several minutes before Kagome spoke.

"Truth or dare."

Inuyasha snorted, surprised she was in the mood to play. He glanced at her pensive expression before shrugging.

"Dare."

Kagome paused briefly nibbling her lip. Should she dare him? Her arms hugged herself and her courage peetered out.

"Hug me, please?"

The boy was surprised. He'd expected something different, something silly. He shrugged again and opened his arms, letting her fall into the comfort of his embrace. He smelled tears on her cheeks and was deciding whether or not to ask when she gave him an extra squeeze then spoke.

"Truth."

He took his time. He liked her leaning against him like this and didn't want to say anything that would make her pull away. A clawed hand rose up to stroke her hair and he discreetly lowered his nose to inhale her essence. Finally, he thought of something.

"What are you thinking about?"

It must have been the right question to ask. She shifted, but instead of sitting up and out of his arms, she burrowed deeper into his chest, curling into a warm, comfortable ball in his lap.

"I'm thinking about the future," she said, "I'm thinking about us. I'm thinking about all the things I want to do with you, and show you, and be with you. I'm thinking about how we can't have a normal relationship because I can only be with you in my dreams…"

Her voice was wavering.

"I'm thinking about how much I love you."

He didn't realize he'd stopped breathing until a burning in his chest reminded him that air was a basic necessity of life. Something warm and insistent pressed against his heart and a strange, emotional lump formed in his throat. He knew he should answer her. He knew she would want him to answer. He tried to speak.

"I-, Kagome, I-," the words weren't coming. "I really-, well…"

What _should_ he say? Should he tell her that his entire world was her? Every fiber of his being belonged to her? Was that fair to her? She was young, she was vibrant, she would no doubt be loved by many. And suddenly, a strange sort of guilt rose out of his gut and strangled the words before they could leave his throat.

Kagome didn't seem to be too affected by his lack of response. Instead, she sat up, leaving a sharp coldness against his body in her absence. She looked into his face and she asked, "Truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"I dare you to pick truth next time."

"Oi!" Inuyasha said with annoyance, "That's no fair."

"You're no fair! I don't know anything about you!" Kagome glared at him, her determination to hear about his past bringing a lively spark to her eyes and for a moment, those bright, brown orbs seemed to hypnotize him.

"Argh, fine," he grumbled, looking away.

"Good," she said, "Dare."

The words were out before he even thought them through.

"Kiss me and tell me you love me again."

A bubble a laughter out of her throat dispelled some of the tension between them and she rolled her eyes.

"That's no fair," she complained, "That's two things."

His face was adorable when he looked at her with droopy ears. "You won't do it?"

With a flash of a smile, she leaned into him and granted him his kiss, letting him plunder her mouth and grow a wonderful flower of heat in both their bodies. And then she shifted to position herself next to a snowy white ear.

"I love you, Inuyasha."

With her breath on his ears, her hair tickling his neck, and her hands on his shoulders, Inuyasha trembled and pulled her in tightly to feel how her body conformed to his as though it were made for him. He held her for a long time and she let him delay his turn. Finally, reluctantly, with his face buried in her neck so that his breath tickled her and made her shiver.

"Truth."

"Tell me about your past, where you came from and how you ended up pinned to a tree."

Inuyasha pulled back from her and searched her face. She tried to gaze back at him encouragingly, trying not to spook him back into his usual crusty self. Eventually, he looked away and heaved a great sigh.

"I think I was born a really long time ago," he started, "Back then, demons weren't so endangered as they apparently are now. I wasn't supposed to be born. My mother was a human noble woman and her own brother tried to kill her in order to prevent me from being born."

Kagome's eyes were wide and her hands were up covering her mouth. Her instincts were true, because if she'd spoken up, he probably wouldn't have continued with his story.

"My father was a powerful demon lord. Nobody knows why he even bothered with a human woman, let alone choose to save her at the cost of his own life. Back then, half-demons were killed as a matter of course. And those that lived were treated worse than shit for their dirty blood."

A deep frown creased his face and Kagome wanted to reach for him, hold him, comfort him the way he always comforted her.

"When I was orphaned, I had to figure out how to survive on my own. I had to hide from humans and demons alike, or be killed on sight. I lived like that… I don't even know how long. One day, I think I was the equivalent of a human fifteen year old, I stumbled across a priestess in possession of a stone that could make me full demon, and I tried to kill her in order to get it. Long story short, I got shot and pinned and woke up here."

Inuyasha looked at her, pain evident in his face.

"And I sure as hell didn't live happily ever after," he said, mimicking the endings of many of the storybooks he used to read to her, "Then end."

There were questions inside of her. He could see them in her eyes as she looked at him. There was pity, and sadness, and concern, and all sorts of things that made him uncomfortable and he was glad she seemed to understand that he wanted to move on from the subject. She scooted forward and wrapped her arms around him. There weren't any words to say to accurately express all that she wanted to tell him and so she let her body speak to his, hoping he'd understand the message.

After the waking world called her away, Inuyasha found himself once again atop his box, gazing out over the meadow. He thought about the shrine, the tree, and the priestess. He thought about the feelings she'd awakened in him so long ago, only to tear his heart out and condemn him into this strange state of limbo. It had been only darkness for so long. Without any sensory input, no sight, no sound, just his mind haunting him over and over with the sharp pain of betrayal as the arrow entered his flesh, and the slow, numbing darkness that consumed him.

He tried to think back. Just when did his surroundings shift so that there was ground underneath his feet, and walls encasing him from all sides? When did he first come aware of the little pounding of tiny, baby feet and the giddy, gurgling noises of joy and innocence? And after that, when did that first little squeal out of her throat finally urge him to seek out sunlight outside the confines of his solitary, dark existence?

And then his mind came forward towards the present and he thought about the sensations inside of him in reaction to this bubbly little girl that drew him out of his dark metal box. And he thought of the future she wished for them. And then…. Inuyasha frowned. She'd said something, with a determination in her face that had surprised him. Just as she was leaving to slap off that annoying alarm and return to her world.

"Tomorrow," she'd said, "Tomorrow, instead of me coming to you, you're going to come to me."

* * *

A/N: omg! We're almost done! Can you feel it?


	17. Follow the red butterfly

**Silver boy with golden eyes**

~Kitty

 **Follow the red butterfly**

* * *

The boy lay in the meadow, basking in the warm sunlight. His eyes were closed and his breathing was even, but he was not asleep. He didn't sleep, couldn't sleep. Somehow, in this strange prison, sleep was denied him and he was required to consciously experience every passing second in purgatory. Recently, though, time passed more easily as her visits gave him more and more to daydream about. He inhaled deeply through his nose and released it out his mouth. And then yesterday.

Try as he might, his thoughts kept sneaking away from the soft, pleasant daydreams of her touch and moved into the darker territories of his mind. His truth/dare combo dragged out his memories and it was difficult to stuff them back into the little box in his heart.

A tickle on his nose alerted him to its presence. Light and fragile, a bright red butterfly probed the arch of his nose with its strange tongue and Inuyasha sniffed, scrunching his face to dislodge the uninvited disturbance. It lifted off and fluttered around his head before attempting to touch down on a fluffy white ear.

With a growl, Inuyasha sat up, half heartedly slashing at the beautiful, fragile creature. Red wings flapped erratically and whisked it out of his grasp. When he stopped flailing, it hovered closer.

"Argh," he grumbled in frustration, "Fucking bug!"

The butterfly fluttered away then, toward his metal box. Golden eyes followed it curiously as it disappeared inside the open window. With a snort, Inuyasha shrugged and got up, following the red bumbling insect.

The shick of the wood sliding door broke the peace inside the stark space. Inuyasha glanced around, spotting the butterfly wobbling on the ground in a corner, as if its wings were suddenly too heavy. Slightly amused, but also with some concern, Inuyasha stepped up to the tiny creature and squatted down before it.

"Oi, bug," he called out to it, "What's the matter with you?"

With a curled finger, he gently prodded the trembling body with his knuckle. The wide, radiant wings flopped to the side as the butterfly lost its balance and toppled over. In surprise, Inuyasha jerked back, afraid that even his breath would press too hard on it.

He sat for a time in the box, in a corner opposite the dying butterfly. The once brilliant red had turned dull and Inuyasha frowned at the fading life.

A darkness clouded his mind then. Abandonment, abuse, and death. Three things that followed him everywhere his existence took him. Without being conscious of it, his mind began to relive his dark, rusty memories…

 _The first time he caught a glimpse of her, she was framed by bright green leaves and dark, mossy bark. Her image was a painting and his thoughts of attacking the village quickly dissipated and all he could do was watch her as she tended some villager's injuries. The touch of her hands looked so gentle and soft. And something sad in her face pulled at a place in his heart he hadn't realized existed. There was something about her. It mystified him._

 _She'd known his presence since the beginning. And he only made a few tepid attempts at the jewel. She only made a few lukewarm shots to fend him off. How many times did it take, he wondered, before each attack he initiated stemmed from an urge to see her? How many dodged arrows did it take, for him to realize she was missing on purpose?_

 _The first time she sought him out was both exhilarating and confusing. The first time they touched was intoxicating._

 _He'd never spent time in another's company like this. His mother was the last time he'd ever even spoken to another living being without sparring. It confused him. It soothed him. It entrapped him._

 _He couldn't really recall the events that led up to him waking inside the darkness in this space. But what he did remember was…_

With a flinch, the boy in the box in the meadow surrounded by forest crumpled to the ground, a sharp, searing pain stabbing him through his chest. Moistness seeped through his robes and he gasped as his nose registered the scent of his own blood. He didn't have time to process this as another shock of pain left him writhing on the ground. Everything was coming back to him. It wasn't just a physical pain that had made him crawl into himself and shut out the world. And try as he might to suppress it, the combined fire of the arrowhead tearing through his flesh and the devastating crush of hopes and dreams torn from underneath him drew out an agonized howl emanating out into the empty space around him, vibrating through the walls and echoing back to him mockingly. His hopes, his dreams. He never had them before, never known to have them. Thoughts toward the future, delicate and pliable, like a new life just beginning to learn to use its feet.

And then another jolt of searing hot pain. Hot enough to melt bone and boil blood and he whimpered, curling into himself, clutching his chest, his heart, the source of this anguish.

Close it out, shut it out. Every minuscule nerve in his body screamed to him out of self preservation. _Any further and you will break_!

 _Don't break._

The mantra from far, far back resurfaced with a tenacious grit.

 _Don't break. Whatever they throw at you, don't you break._

He growled, he howled, but he refused to whimper and whine. The nightmare that terrorized his mind abated. The pain shooting through his chest faded. A numbness slowly cooled his fevered flesh and he allowed himself to fall into the abyss of nothingness his mind created to save itself.

Muscles relaxed, breathing deepened, and Inuyasha felt himself slipping back into the sea of oblivion and he welcomed the relief from the pain and the solace that comes with forgetting. _Forget everything…_

"Inuyasha!"

The voice was faint and he ignored it in favor of the cool, the sweet, the empty relief of letting go.

"Inuyasha!"

A soft fluttering accompanied the voice and it was as if a tiny little spark of life responded to the desperate cry. Golden eyes snapped open and the first thing he saw was a flash of red.

Soft, delicate, weak. The red wings fluttered with fading strength. But the fluttering red wisp stayed aloft and somehow beckoned to him.

 _There is more to this life than betrayals and rejection._

"INUYASHA…!"

The tremor in her voice, the sob, the desperation.

"Inuyasha…. fight through it! Please! I need you!"

There was a pounding in his chest. Or was it a pounding on his chest? And then phantom hands caressed his face and then…

A softness against his lips.

The little red butterfly was flapping desperately now and in a daze, Inuyasha raised clawed hands to touch his lips. He was so sure he'd felt it. There! Again!

Firmer this time, desperate and bold. Her lips crushed his and a warmth began to grow in his chest that was so different from the scathing burn that earlier plagued his heart.

"Inuyasha… Please, come to me. I need you… I need you so much…"

Her voice latched onto him and pulled him forward and then all he could see was the little streak of red that lead him out of his metallic prison and crashing blindly into the forest. He didn't know just how he was able to find his feet. The metal box was quickly left behind him and he was racing through the brambles, thorned branches whipping toward him, dips and roots threatened to trip him, but he continued forward, heedless of the blood dripping from the multiple scratches and the deep, deep hole inside his chest that continued to spill out in a hot, red river.

Just what was he racing towards?

"Inuyasha…!" She was sobbing now, the wetness in her voice drew out a reaction from him he found strange and almost familiar. He felt a pounding on his chest and for a moment, he couldn't tell if it was the beating of his own heart or the beating on an imagined external force.

"Inuyasha-a-a-a… Please… I need you. I need you with me."

Something rose up from inside of him. It uncurled and lurched forward, through the trees and past that little red, fluttering speck that was leading the way. And from his throat, a cry that ripped from his chest and stretched out desperately for something greater than himself.

"KAGOME!"

The boundary of the strange dream world he existed in loomed above him like in a swirling multicolored mosaic and the dizzyingly changing colors overwhelmed him as he faced off against it.

The pull to reach her was an immense force in his mind and he boldly raised a palm to press against the shimmering barrier.

It shuddered.

Then threw him back.

His prison was not yet willing to let him leave.

"Inuyasha…"

With a growl, he threw himself at the force field. Whether it liked it or not, he was leaving this place. And not just to be with Kagome. He was leaving this place for himself. More than his feelings for the girl that called him, there was a part of his heart that longed for even more. He was going to claim his freedom and no barrier or curse or strange twist of fate was going to bar him from his goal.

He lashed and slashed and beat against the strange dazzling wall for a time, he didn't know how long. And his arms were beginning to fail him. With one last attempt, a swing so hard, the fibers in his muscles screamed in agony. And for a moment, all was still.

And then a shudder.

And a tremble.

And a loud resounding crack echoed through the air.

Like glass shattering into a million pieces, the whole world around his crumbled, shards flying every which way. Inside the tiny fragments, he saw memory. Little moments of sunlight, a chubby toddling girl-child raising soft, fat arms in the air, a beautiful, radiant young woman with hooded brown eyes inching shyly closer. And then he was falling, and falling, and falling…

…

It was pain that wakened him, a familiar pain that was sharp, and biting, and burned him straight through his core.

And then scents caught his nose, familiar with unfamiliar and his brain suddenly whirled into action, eyes snapping open and a face that made his heart thump painfully rose up in front of him.

"AAAGH!"

His cry was loud and rough and rang out into the nighttime air. Voices in the distance sounded anxious and concerned but his attention was captured by the girl in front of him, raising a splintered, blistered hand to his face.

She was crying.

Large, fat tears rolled down her cheeks, leaving muddy trails as they fell.

"I can't pull it out…," she sobbed, "I tried, I really tried…"

And then she buried her face against his chest.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!"

"Nnnngh… Kagome?"

A clawed hand gently came up to rest against the back of her head. Another held her tattered hand away from his face and he stared at it in shock.

The skin was blistered and torn. Soft palms that never saw hard labor. Soft palms, that had explored his body and caressed his needy heart. Soft palms that should never have experienced such abuse.

Something was glowing in between them and he glanced at it. The arrow shaft sticking out of his chest burned in a strange, purple hue and glowed like an ember. He growled at it, for causing her such harm and he tried to gently push the girl aside to take up the shaft in both his hands.

"No! It's really hot, Inuyasha!"

She was right, but he swallowed his howl of pain as the skin on his hands seared and smoked. This arrow. This arrow fired from a woman who'd betrayed him. This arrow that locked him in place all these years and now prevented him from leaving. This arrow that so savagely harmed the most precious person in the world to him. This arrow had outlasted its use and he was determined to end the last remnant that tied him to his past.

He shouted from the exertion, his tired muscles complaining loudly. And then a snap.

He had just enough time to witness the arrow shatter to pieces and vanish before the aftershock of the spell breaking leveled the tree he'd been pinned against and toppled every person present in the clearing. His consciousness faded out and he weakly sought out the girl that was beside him before fading to blackness.

The last conscious thought he had.

' _Finally, I'm free…'_

* * *

THE END!

* * *

A/N: phew…. that was hard to write. It's the end for now but I'll probably tack on a quick epilogue to tie off any loose strings (if you notice any unanswered questions that you think really ought to be answered, please let me know :P)

By the way, not sure how many people kept this detail, but way waaaay back, remember how a red butterfly led Kagome to his box? I threw that in off handedly and then after rereading that first chapter, got the idea for this one so it really feels like it's come full circle now…. hahaha

Also, i really wanted it to be Inuyasha releasing himself. Somehow there's just something satisfying about that… i dunno :P

So, I got surprisingly invested in this story about half way through…. I'll definitely be revisiting this after I make more progress on my other stories.

Anyways. Thanks so much for reading! I hope it was fun!

I think that's all I wanted to say about this story…. I'm definitely done for now and I'm going on vacay! Yay! Disappearing for a while.

Later!


	18. Beyond the Looking Glass

A/N: So the epilogue just sort of turned into a bit of fluff to close out the story. Doesn't really have more development or anything besides showing how Inuyasha and Kagome are getting along. It was relaxing to write though, and helped make a 13 hr flight way more bearable.

Epilogue starts after a 3-4 year time jump :)

* * *

 **Silver boy with golden eyes**

~Kitty

 **Beyond the looking glass**

* * *

 _It was a good dream. A sunny dream. It had her scent, and her touch, and long sweet, lingering glances that seemed to draw out his soul. He laughed and dropped his lips onto hers, tasting her, consuming her. Soft, coy arms wrapped around his neck and pulled him close, burying his nose against the crook of her neck and he inhaled deep into his chest, shuddering as he savored her scent. A flutter by his ear. A tickle. And a soft giggle. And then her voice was calling out to him._

"Inuyasha…"

A bumpy, but gentle hand pressed against his cheek. Inuyasha groaned and sighed and rolled over.

"Inuyasha."

Her voice was more insistent and while his mind came fully awake, he was determined not to show it. But it was difficult to fool someone who'd spent her whole life learning his moods and expressions.

"C'mon Inuyasha, I know you're awake," she said, playful fingers descending to pinch his nose. With a snort, his eyes snapped open and he smirked when she shrieked in surprise as a sneaky arm snaked around her waist and pulled her down into him.

He pressed her against his chest and burrowed his nose into her hair, letting her essence sweep through him like a wave. When she turned her head to speak to him, he stopped her mouth with his and indulged himself in a prolonged kiss, lazily trailing his tongue over her lips.

"Mmm," he sighed, "Morning, wench."

His chest swelled with a masculine pride to see her glazed eyes struggle to refocus. She groaned and dropped her head to his chest.

"Ugh, you're so impossible…," she grumbled, "Get up, pooper! My mom's gonna be here any minute, and _you_ can't be here."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. He was pretty sure Kagome's mother suspected they were up to hanky panky and that there was no need to hide their intimacy any longer. Besides, until last night, their private activities weren't really anything worth concealing.

Her roommate knocked on her door, "Hey, Kagome, I think you're mom's downstairs. Should I stall her for you?"

"Oh my god, thanks Sango! You're a lifesaver!"

"I know," Sango replied, already heading out the door of their suite, "You owe me!"

Inuyasha tightened his grip on the girl in his arms, pulling her into a fierce hug.

"Does that mean we have more time?"

Kagome smacked him lightly on his shoulder. "Nope, go on, git!"

She rolled out of bed and hauled him to his feet, immediately stuffing yesterday's shirt and jeans into his arms. As he hopped around struggling into his clothes, Kagome opened up the window and stepped to the side.

"I'll see you tonight! Love you! Bye!" She said quickly, one hand waving at him to hurry. He caught the hand and brought it up to his face to kiss her wrist, a brief look of pain flashing through his eyes as he glimpsed the scarred, roughened skin. Kagome sighed but didn't say anything, familiar with the futility of his guilt over her ruined hands. Instead, she reclaimed her nerve-damaged hand and pulled him in for a quick kiss on the lips before shoving him towards the window.

"I love you, wench," he murmured in her ear and she shivered as his breath tickled the hairs at the nape of her neck. Before she could recover from the rush of sensation, he was out the window and sprinting back to his dorm. And not a moment too soon because there was another knock on the door and her mother stepped in.

"Kagome! How are you?"

"Hi Mama!" Kagome greeted her mother, coming in for a hug. The older woman glanced around before looking at her daughter.

"Where's Inuyasha? I half expected him to be here."

There was a poorly covered snort of laughter in the hallway and Kagome stuttered as she answered.

"Ah, we're hanging out later tonight…"

Sango winked at Kagome as she passed on her way out for her mother-daughter brunch. Her mother continued speaking, blissfully unaware of her daughter's embarrassment.

"How are your classes, dear? Are you still waiting to hear back about that internship at Toyota this summer?"

…

MIroku glanced up when his white-haired, half demon roommate entered the room. The goofy, dopey smile on his face was quickly replaced by the usual snarky expression the dog demon typically wore around campus and Miroku almost chuckled aloud, still amused by Inuyasha's ineffective attempt to maintain a rough around the edges reputation. Instead, he raised his eyebrows and looked the half-demon up and down.

"Walk of shame, eh?" he said teasingly, "I'm proud of you buddy!"

The boy blushed to his hairline and tried to cover it with a scowl.

"... Keh…"

"And how is Kagome?"

"Keh."

"And how was the study session?"

"Keh."

"Were my 'study' tips helpful?"

"... K-keh…"

"That's what I thought."

Socializing was still a unique challenge for him. He was only just starting to get used to living with this stranger although it's already been one and half semesters. However, Inuyasha was positive the slow warm up had more to do with this particular roommate above anything else, what with the continuous innuendo and sexual jokes and overall persistent badgering. Although… some of the advice the perverted young man gave turned out to be very fruitful for Inuyasha...

After a quick shower and ramen breakfast, the ex-shrine deity, current premed student locked himself in his room, pulling out the textbooks and problem sets he was supposed to have worked through the night before.

Tonight couldn't come fast enough.

…

"Foul! Use of youki."

A dark haired, blue eyed demon snarled at the volunteer referee, earning himself a wave of fear from the human male. Inuyasha sniffed derisively, bringing himself under the scrutiny of the icy blue gaze.

"Got something to say, dog-shit?"

Inuyasha bristled at the insult.

"Nah, just that you're going down, flea-bag!"

They stood across from each other while Miroku shot his free throws, ready to catch the rebound. He jostled for position, launching himself up to catch the ball then winced, feeling his claw slice through the rubber and hearing the hiss of air escaping.

"Foul! Damage to equipment."

Now it was his turn to growl at the referee, who held his hands upward in a mock defence posture. Miroku came up beside him, wiping an arm over his sweaty forehead.

"Inuyasha, I think you're a net zero between your agility and your unique ability to pop every ball you get your hands on."

"Shut up!" Inuyasha growled. A waft of air and a familiar scent registered in his brain and he looked up just as he heard that annoying, blue eyed wolf demon shout.

"Hi there, beautiful!"

Kagome rolled her eyes but greeted the bold demon regardless.

"Hi Kouga, who's winning?"

"Keh, us, obviously!" ... by a point.

The girl giggled and made herself comfortable at the edge of the court. Inuyasha's shirt and towel lay discarded on the bench beside her and she reached for them unconsciously, holding them in her lap and turning her gaze back to the game. She was still shy about observing her boyfriend in public, especially when he was bare chested and glistening with sweat. But there was also something about Inuyasha in motion that could completely capture her attention and hold onto it with an iron hard grasp. There was nothing in her power that permitted her to look away.

He moved like he was made of water. Flowing here and there, changing direction in an instant. Crashing, then evading, both soft and hard at the same time. He took her breath away. He made her heart pound. Watching him made her insides go watery and it was an addiction that grew stronger with each passing day. And that was all in addition to his physique. Which was perfect. In an unfair, godly sort of way.

Kagome's brown eyes followed him around the court, appreciating the ripple of his muscles under his skin. He had a lean body, as if it were all sinew and hard, tight muscle, firing and releasing in perfect synchrony. And now when his sweat soaked into his gym shorts and the fabric clung to his ass, she almost forgot to blush as her eyes traced the perfect curves, trailing down his legs and appreciating the bunching and relaxing of the muscles there. She would need to remember to give them more attention tonight than she had the previous night.

The memory of last night finally brought out a fully bloomed blush to her cheeks and she fought hard to keep from covering her face, certain that the movement would draw unwanted attention. She'd been too frightened to complete the deed, but what they _did_ do though…. That night, her body sang in a way it never had before.

"Thinking of me, sweetheart?" A male voice that was definitely _not_ Inuyasha sounded from across the court. Kagome blinked and was thrust back into the present. Her face burned to see every demon in the basketball courts staring at her and she knew her scent was giving her away. And then her eyes locked on Inuyasha and the intensity into those burning, golden eyes seared her straight down to that special place he'd discovered and worshiped the night before. His nostrils flared in response.

A chorus of catcalls and dirty taunts echoed in her ears and she decided she had just about all she could bear. With a mumbled excuse and farewell, she fled the scene. When she finally made it back to her room, she realized she'd accidentally taken Inuyasha's shirt with her and she lifted it to her face and took a long deep whiff, her entire body trembling as it recognized its lover from nearly twenty four hours ago. Kagome glanced up at her window, at the sun that was slowly creeping downward toward the horizon.

Tonight just couldn't come fast enough.

…

The doorbell sounded and a very excited girl ran up to open the door to her apartment.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried, "Inuyasha! I made it! I got the internship! I'm gonna be at Toyota this summer!"

The white haired demon took a moment to register what the happy, bubbly face bouncing in front of him was trying to say.

"That's great, Kagome."

"Uhuh! Uhuh! I just got the call! They said the official letter should be arriving next week"

She had his hands in hers and was hopping up and down excitedly. With a smirk and a chuckle, Inuyasha caught her by the shoulders and leaned down to kiss her, effectively ending her dizzying jumping.

"Congrats, wench," he said into her ear. Kagome felt a shiver race up her spine and briefly wondered if they should cancel their dinner plans. Inuyasha straightened, however, and continued.

"Then dinner tonight is on me to celebrate."

"Oh no you don't," Kagome said quickly, "You're going to be in so much debt when you start med school, dinner's on me. No if's, and's, or but's."

Inuyasha was going to argue, but Kagome was already zipping out the door after a quick holler at her roommate and Inuyasha had to walk briskly to keep up. He let her talk that night. Her excitement soon leveled down to a more manageable level and he enjoyed her good mood. She was wearing one of his favorite skirts and it thrilled him when he felt the heat of her skin every time those soft, slender legs brushed against his. It was a cool spring evening and as they were walking back, she stayed close to him, warmed by the arm he wrapped around her waist and she teased the hem of his shirt as they strolled.

"Did you enjoy watching my game today?" He asked slyly, smirking to see the blush spreading across her face, even as her scent spiked at the memory.

"Eh…," she said, trying to play it cool, "It was alright ... who won?"

Inuyasha snorted gruffly and Kagome knew the answer.

"We lost," he grumbled with a huff, "no thanks to you."

Kagome laughed, elbowing him gently in the side. "What? Was I too distracting?"

"Keh…"

"If you're gonna be a surgeon, you're gonna need to be better at focusing."

"Keh."

Kagome's laughter again filled the space between them and Inuyasha closed it to stifle her chortles with a kiss.

"Keh, cheeky wench."

Her brown eyes rolled in their sockets as she responded by pinching his nose.

"Yeah, yeah, and you're still a pooper."

"Oi, I only started shitting _after_ getting out of that fucking place. The stupid box didn't even have a toilet. Can't figure out how that worked given the amount of ramen we ate..."

That gave Kagome a full new set of giggles as they arrived back at her dorm. They checked in with the security guard and said 'hi' to students they knew and when they entered her shared suite, they quickly sequestered themselves in her room and there they began to explore the next stage in their relationship, a task them kept them awake late into the evening and earned them very, very sly looks from Sango the next morning.

…

The softness in his eyes was warm and dewy and it was a real shame Kagome still slumbered beside him. From his position, he couldn't see much of her face but he enjoyed the feel of her cheek where it rested against his chest. Her hand lay slack over his sternum and he brought up a clawed hand to grasp it. It never failed to bring a mild frown to his face, and a pang through his heart, to see or feel the damage to her palms. It was the strangest mixture of guilt and joy and gratitude that rippled through him whenever he held her hands and thought about that night. Much of the sensitivity in her hands had been lost and her skin would be forever lumpy. It sometimes made normal tasks difficult for her and she used a special keyboard to help her fingers find the correct keys. He loved these hands. Hands that tried so hard to set him free. Hands that sacrificed so much for him.

His own palms had healed miraculously. The demon heritage in his blood had seen to that. He still felt guilty for coming out of the experience unscathed whereas Kagome would never be able to feel properly with her fingers ever again. Kagome hated it when he put on that guilty look though, so he tried to avoid it while she was awake. Instead he focused on how happy he was now. Unbelievably happy for a half-demon who'd grown up in a different era, a time when his kind was openly persecuted and not allowed to live. He looked down at the dark head that breathed evenly and deeply against him, her hair luminous in the early morning light. The swelling in his chest was nearly unbearable but it was a sweet sort of pain and he willingly leaned into it, wanted it there, savored it. The curves of her body pressed against him and he gently shifted to bring her closer, loving the feel of skin on skin.

Inuyasha craned his neck to bring his nose closer to her hair and breathed in deep. Sometimes in these dim, early morning quiet times, as he let his mind drift from thought to thought, he would ponder on the girl sleeping beside him and wonder what it was that had saved him. He struggled to define it, this amorphous thing that had bubbled to the surface of his heart and drove him outward, not only ready to take on the world, but desperately needing to do so.

Was it love? He knew he loved her. Desperately. More than he'd ever thought possible.

Was it hope? For the first time in a very long time, he was beginning to remember the feeling a hope. For his life, for his future.

Or was it something else? Love, hope, desire, selfishness. None of the words he thought of could fully describe how he felt as he reflected on where he was right now and how he got there. It was as if something deep, deep down inside him had been awakened from knowing Kagome, and all it wanted was to be, to live life. To exist in its truest form and fulfill all of its potential and claim all that life could offer. It was like an instinct that had laid dormant all this time. It was awake now, and it was ecstatic, voracious. It wanted many things, but one thing most above all else.

Kagome shifted against him, her leg snaking up his thigh and a swell of emotion rose up inside him to feel her moving closer.

"Kagome?"

"Mmm?"

Her voice was soft and sleepy and she snuggled deeper into him.

"Kagome, will you marry me? Be mine forever like I'm yours?"

"Mhmm. Of course I'll marry you." Her reply was instantaneous and he was fairly certain she was still sleeping. He turned towards her to wrap both arms around the slim body. The morning light was still soft and faint and Inuyasha let her warmth pull him back to sleep, resolving to re-ask his question another time, when she was a bit more conscious. As he drifted, a wide, sleepy smile appeared on the girl's face and they lay together like that for some time while the sun rose and cast its light around their apartment. There's no such thing as a perfect, happy ending in life. But just as the world of dreams swallowed him, he had to admit to himself that, for the moment, he was perfectly and exceedingly happy.

* * *

A/N: Yay! All done! I'm going to explore this world a bit more in a companion fanfic I'm planning but I don't want to give much away just yet. Probably wont get to it for a while since i'm apparently not good at multitasking and want to make better progress on my other fic first…...

Some folks have asked me about the box: so let's see, i honestly have no clue how it materialized... hahaha, this story sort of wrote itself and I just came along for the ride. Personally, I like to think of the box as symbolic of Inuyasha's heart. When Kagome first shows up, it's completely sealed and didn't even have a window. Eventually, he creates a window and doorway for himself to interact with her and at one point, she even goes into his "heart" (ch10).

The early visits from Kagome (in the chapters that show her arriving in the dreamworld) all start with Inuyasha inside the box, then coming outside when she gets there, like she's drawing him out. After a while, he starts to wander around outside the box, even without kagome, like he's ready to move beyond this space. Also the last chapter starts with Inuyasha going back into his box, because he needed to readdress and overcome his past before he could move on. At least, that's what I think as I go back over the chapters... hahaha


End file.
